Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It by Samuel Miller McDonald explores the powerful concept of progress and its double-edged impact on humanity. The book traces how belief in continual advancement shaped civilizations, fueled innovation, and improved living standards, while also exposing the hidden costs of unchecked growth.
McDonald examines how technological expansion, economic ambition, and cultural assumptions about “progress” now pose serious risks to society, the environment, and human well-being. Written in a clear and thought-provoking style, the book challenges readers to rethink what progress truly means and whether our current direction is sustainable.
Brief Summary of Book: Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It by Samuel Miller McDonald
Below is a brief overview and the cover image of Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It by Samuel Miller McDonald, published on December 2, 2025. You may review this introduction before accessing the full Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It PDF and EPUB download available at the end of the page.
For readers of Thomas Piketty, David Graeber, and Jared Diamond, this book presents a bold, provocative, and wide-ranging examination of humanity’s enduring idea of progress—offering a compelling new vision for the future. Progress is power. The narratives societies tell themselves about advancement and direction shape decisions, priorities, and destinies. Belief in progress has built cities, reshaped landscapes, mapped the planet, explored oceans and space, generated wealth and opportunity, and driven extraordinary innovation, ushering in an era unlike any in Earth’s 4.5-billion-year history.
Yet the modern story of progress is also a dangerous illusion. It defines what is considered “success” and legitimizes actions taken in its name, regardless of cost. Myths of domination, endless growth, extraction, and expansion—once engines of achievement—now threaten humanity and the survival of all species on a planet in crisis.
In Progress, geographer Samuel Miller McDonald offers a radical rethinking of these foundational myths. Drawing on anthropology, history, philosophy, and geography, he traces their destructive legacy and argues for an urgent reimagining of what progress must mean if humanity is to endure.
Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It by Samuel Miller McDonald – eBook Details
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- Full Title: Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It
Author: Samuel Miller McDonald
Genres: Criticism, Environment, History, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics, Society
Series: —
ISBN: 9781250278319
ASIN: 1250278317
Language: English
Publication Date: December 2, 2025 - Available Formats:
- PDF File: Progress_-_Samuel_Miller_McDonald.pdf (3.1 MB)
- EPUB File: Progress_-_Samuel_Miller_McDonald.epub (2.7 MB)
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central argument of the book?
The book examines how the modern idea of “progress” shaped civilization while also creating environmental, social, and existential risks that now threaten humanity’s future.
Which fields does the author draw from?
Samuel Miller McDonald integrates insights from anthropology, history, philosophy, geography, politics, and environmental studies to build a multidisciplinary argument.
Is the book critical of technology and growth?
Rather than rejecting technology outright, the book critiques unchecked growth and the myths that justify exploitation, expansion, and domination at any cost.
Who is the book intended for?
It is suited for readers interested in social theory, environmental issues, history, and political philosophy, especially fans of thinkers like Piketty, Graeber, and Diamond.
Does the book offer solutions or alternatives?
Yes. It proposes reimagining and redefining what “progress” means, urging new values and narratives that support long-term human and planetary well-being.
Conclusion
Progress: How One Idea Built Civilization and Now Threatens to Destroy It offers a powerful and timely reflection on one of humanity’s most influential beliefs. By tracing the historical roots and modern consequences of the idea of progress, Samuel Miller McDonald reveals how a concept once associated with hope and advancement has evolved into a force that justifies environmental destruction, inequality, and endless expansion. Through an interdisciplinary lens, the book challenges readers to question long-held assumptions about growth and success. Ultimately, it calls for a fundamental rethinking of progress itself—one grounded in sustainability, responsibility, and collective well-being—arguing that humanity’s future depends on redefining what it truly means to move forward.
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