FARSIGHT Has Faith in Progress Lost its Footing?
Dec 19, 2025
Citizens in wealthy nations are grappling with growing pessimism about the future, challenging the long-held belief in progress. The discussion touches on historical voices diagnosing civilizational decline and the contrast between Enlightenment optimism and Romantic pessimism. Factors like climate change and demographic shifts are contributing to these anxieties. In contrast, optimism thrives in low-income countries. The episode also explores how cultural resilience and environmental metrics are reshaping perceptions of progress amid political stagnation in the West.
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Progress Versus Decline Is A Deep Cultural Theme
- Western thought has long held dual convictions of inevitable progress and imminent collapse.
- This tension appears across history, philosophy, art and architecture as recurring cultural cycles.
Affluence Correlates With Pessimistic Future Expectations
- Surveys show declining belief in intergenerational improvement in rich countries.
- In a 36-nation Pew 2025 survey the median thought descendants will be worse off (57%) than better off (34%).
Global Optimism Concentrates Outside The West
- Optimism clusters in low- and middle-income countries while high-income countries trend pessimistic.
- Youth in Nigeria, Kenya, Mexico and China often feel more optimistic than their Western counterparts.