Human History in the Last Five Centuries as a Story of Progress

HUMAN HISTORY AS A STORY OF PROGRESS
Name
Class Information
Date
Progress is defined as a gradual increment or advancement and betterment of the living conditions of a society over time. In the case of the human species, a lot has been achieved over the years, and we are living in an era where the advancement of technology has made life a little bit more comfortable compared to our predecessors; man has gone to the moon and back, exploration and plans to colonize planet mars is right on track among other notable milestones. Looking from these lenses enables one to see the progress made over the past five centuries.
According to Forbes 2017 survey where they asked individuals that if all things considered, "do you think the world is getting better or worse?". The results were shocking; in Sweden, only 10% agreed that the world is getting better, while only 6% of the population in the USA agreed. The clarity of the argument can be seen in the fact that only 2% of the world's richest man Elon Musk (Block 2021), can end the issue of food shortage in the world forever. Still, the sad reality is that millions die across the globe because of food-related illnesses and malnutrition (Denning 2017). On the other hand, the cases of terrorism, social unrest, economic stagnation, recession, inequality, and unemployment are historically high, giving the impression that progress is only enjoyed by the minority 1% but not the majority.
Poverty is used to measure the strides made by progress in helping elevate dilapidating conditions for the masses. The bible states that the poor will always be with you; therefore, living in a world where the poor do not exist is unimaginable and unthinkable. However, from 1990 the have been 130,000 fewer people living in extreme poverty each day. The industrial revolution resulted in the provision of better living standards. From the 1950s, an estimated 75% of the world was living in ex...