Historically Speaking
Those outside the moderate center will simply refuse to compromise
As an historian (by training) I’ve been asked from time to time if it seems humans are making more progress toward a better world. The problem with this simple query is that the reply is only answerable with a more complicated response. The reason for this is that the variables are vast in number and contradictory in endless ways. Despite the progress made by many humans in numerous societies to varying degrees, there are large numbers of people and societies that contradict these achievements.
While every society has a range of issues that are controversial to varying degrees, there are also multitudes of variables in how citizens respond to disagreements. Degrees of anger, in particular, represent a critical gauge of potential conflicts. These ranges of responses determine how well societies function at solving problems for the greater good. Not everyone considers compromise to be a necessary, essential solution even though this is invariably the most likely way to societal success.
As a pragmatist, I know that within a range of moderate opinions, reasonable people will succeed more often than not to find sufficient common ground to overcome problematic levels of disagreement. Also as a pragmatist, I know that those outside the moderate center will simply refuse to compromise because they cannot abandon rigid socio-political beliefs. Although rarely a majority of opinion, they are willing to undermine compromise and cooperation when possible. They may even prefer an authoritarian approach to governance even though this is contradictory to democracy.
A critical problem when beliefs and opinions are contradicted by reality — with all its facts, data and information — is that true believers will simply reject reality. Rejection, however, is functionally irrelevant and doomed to failure. Ninety-nine percent of current human knowledge has existed for less than two hundred years. And, this knowledge is both expanding in quantity and being revised in quality as new information is added to or replaces existing information. Pointing to old information while ignoring current knowledge is intellectually dishonest — a common habit with socio-political zealots.
While the overall quality of life for many on the planet has improved in numerous ways, much remains to be done. Realistically, there are significant issues that are likely to undermine our expectations. One issue, in particular, has not improved at all: In mere decades the earth’s population has risen from seven billion to eight billion. Despite the availability of contraceptives and significant reductions of birth rates in developed/developing countries, a multitude of issues — including famine, disease, poor quality of life and marginal life spans — remain common. Other challenges include a lack of functional democracy in too many countries, the unevenness of economic growth and opportunity, and issues of insufficient housing everywhere.
Historically, we have come an incredibly long way over a few thousand years. Progress over the last few hundred years has been immense. But, realistically, humans — no matter how well meaning — are in many ways losing ground to realities. Human nature is the same, but with far more knowledge, technology and awareness. Good intentions can be found everywhere, but rapid change is undermining progress. Everything is far more complicated. Time is moving faster regarding issues that are moving faster that we are.
Historians are well aware of how complicated human history is and will continue to be. Civilizations have come and gone. Change has always been inevitable. Making up new realities to avoid the ones that actually exist is futile, and very foolish. Human existence is complicated because we are complicated, combining a multitude of realties that often contradict each other. Contradictions are fundamental, and much of human existence is coping with these from birth to death. This is true for all life on the planet, but humans have an awareness of this that we can’t escape.
So, yes, we are making progress, but it’s up to each of us to acknowledge we are as much part of the problems as we are of the solutions. The solutions are inevitably imperfect to varying degrees, and some will simply prefer other solutions. With insufficient agreement comes failures to act. Perfection is rare at best, compromise will work — more or less, endless change will continue to exist. More progress toward a better world will coexist with a never ending array of complexity. And historians will observe it all.
