MM,
Perhaps you missed the memo, but Francis Bacon rid the world of the need for the Aristotelian idea of 'final cause', as it relates to science, 400 years ago. As I noted earlier in the thread, you jammed the idea of 'final cause' into your definition of progress in order to discredit progress because it required a final cause; hence, you are still arguing with yourself.
Also, I think you are misrepresenting Gray's position. Gray would not deny human progress as it relates to the reduction in infant mortality rates or the improvement in longevity, as examples. Gray's point is that political and ethical progress has not kept pace with scientific progress resulting in advances in technology being used for unethical purposes. This would have been a conversation worth having, but it wasn't your argument.
Perhaps you missed the memo, but Francis Bacon rid the world of the need for the Aristotelian idea of 'final cause', as it relates to science, 400 years ago. As I noted earlier in the thread, you jammed the idea of 'final cause' into your definition of progress in order to discredit progress because it required a final cause; hence, you are still arguing with yourself.
Also, I think you are misrepresenting Gray's position. Gray would not deny human progress as it relates to the reduction in infant mortality rates or the improvement in longevity, as examples. Gray's point is that political and ethical progress has not kept pace with scientific progress resulting in advances in technology being used for unethical purposes. This would have been a conversation worth having, but it wasn't your argument.
