For the beginning, let us once again specify certain essential terms that I spoke about in the preceding pages in passing. The terms I have in mind in this case are development and evolution. In my theory of progress, these terms are applicable only to the sphere of social being, since outside its boundaries – i.e., inorganic and organic worlds – neither development or evolution, nor revolutions exist. Outside this range, there are only movement and change. The Big Bang, the forming of atoms and molecules, the emergence of the plant and animal worlds or other similar phenomena are movement of matter that changes its forms and content according to the objective laws of Nature, which require neither man’s evaluation nor his consent. Development and Evolution are concepts that belong to social science; they are used to analyze the social processes of a human being. Even though the word evolution is strongly tied to Darwin’s theory, I regard this coupling similarly to the expression “living nature” – i.e., metaphorically. Here are my definitions of these terms: development is mankind’s advancement along the path of progress; evolution is gradual advancement toward progress; revolution is a leaplike transition to a new, higher stage in the development of mankind that accelerates the advancement toward progress; counterrevolution is a leaplike retreat or transition to the preceding, lower stage of mankind’s development, which leads to regress.
Let us now try to figure out the interconnections between social knowledge and social force.
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The Social Laws of Force and Progress
Selected parts of the book
Society: Progress and Force (Criteria and First Principles)