Page 18 - TLU magazine - The Way to The Top

"In today's world, the ideology of progress does not easily coincide with the actual life experiences of many people."
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TALLINN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE / NO. 14 / SPRING 2020
CRACKS IN THE
Liisi Keedus
IDEOLOGY OF PROGRESS
Mainstream Western society has lived for the past few hundred years with the belief that life is generally always improving and people are becoming smarter and richer.
In today's world, the ideology of progress does not easily coincide with the actual life experi- ences of many people. For example, it's clear that globalisation hasn't benefited everyone but has created problems, suffering and protest groups in society that are not willing to accept their situa- tion. At the same time, the ideal of the constantly growing economy contradicts our attempts at minimising the effect of climate change.
A world between wars
The major international project launched under the leadership of Tallinn University political
philosophy professor Liisi Keedus applies intel- lectual history to explore the perceptions of so- ciety and history that emerged in earlier times and which question the faith in progress or shift it and could thus help find new solutions. The ideas of the past can never be transferred verbatim to current times, but as is known from intellectual history, they can carry a significant role in taking a critical look at truisms and inspiring ideas from new foundations.
The intellectual history project primarily (although not solely) focuses on the interwar period with an emphasis on the intellectual
Photo: Piret Räni