Progress

Abstract

One of the central features of good design relates to the concept of progress. That is, people expect that designs will improve over time, so that later designs tend to be better than earlier ones. Technical progress is often associated with innovation, as discussed earlier. However, there is also the matter of moral progress, the expectation that the world will become more ideal over time. Contributions that designs may make to moral progress may be instructively considered by adapting the concept of fairness from the previous chapter. On this view, progress may be seen as a moral dilemma between two strategies for regulating designs, that is, permissive and precautionary strategies. The permissive strategy recommends that new designs be accepted for general use unless and until they prove to be harmful. The precautionary strategy recommends that new designs be restricted from general use unless and until they prove to be safe. Relationships between, and institutional attitudes towards, these two strategies are discussed.