societal progress
Collective human betterment
Societal progress is advancement in a society's conditions, institutions, or values—improvements in health, education, rights, or living standards.
The phrase implies forward movement toward something better, though what counts as progress depends on who's measuring: Expanding voting rights marked societal progress.
Critics note that progress in one dimension may come at cost to another.
- equalitySame status for all
- civil rightsGuaranteed individual legal protections
- human dignityIntrinsic worth of persons
- shared valuesPrinciples held in common
- justiceFair treatment under law
equal opportunity · level playing field · education · climate action · gender equity · automation · poverty alleviation · scientific research · conservation · emancipation · inclusion · social mobility · breaking barriers · circular economy · universal suffrage · institutional reform · diversity · social safety net
societal progressregression
Return to former state
retrogression · backsliding · deterioration · degeneration · devolution
societal progressstagnation
Absence of flow or progress
stasis · standstill · inertia · immobility · paralysis
societal progresscollapse
Sudden structural failure
societal collapse · dark age · downfall · ruin · disintegration