Before revision: Philosophy Sociologist Robert Nisbet said that "No single idea has been more important than ... the Idea of Progress in Western civilization for three thousand years",Nisbet (1980) p. 4. and defines five "crucial premises" of the idea of progress: value of the past nobility of Western civilization worth of economic/technological growth faith in reason and scientific/scholarly knowledge obtained through reason intrinsic importance and worth of life on earth Sociologist P. A. Sorokin said, "The ancient Chinese, Babylonian, Hindu, Greek, Roman, and most of the medieval thinkers supporting theories of rhythmical, cyclical or trendless movements of social processes were much nearer to reality than the present proponents of the linear view ".
After revision: Philosophy Sociologist Robert Nisbet said that "No single idea has been more important than ... the Idea of Progress in Western civilization for three thousand years",Nisbet (1980) p. 4. and defines five "crucial premises" of the idea of progress: value of the past nobility of Western civilization worth of economic/technological growth faith in reason and scientific/scholarly knowledge obtained through reason intrinsic importance and worth of life on earth Sociologist P. A. Sorokin said, "The ancient Chinese, Babylonian, Hindu, Greek, Roman, and most of the medieval thinkers supporting theories of rhythmical, cyclical or trendless movements of social processes were much nearer to reality than the present proponents of the linear view