The Idea of Progress and the Market Economy

On the one hand, liberal social and economic systems provide suitable conditions for technological and social innovation. On the other hand, the development of these systems since the beginning of industrialisation has been influenced by sceptical and pessimistic social attitudes towards progress. These connections are analysed in nine contributions by economists and social scientists. In addition, historical texts on the ambivalent assessment of progress by Karl R. Popper, Friedrich A. von Hayek, Friedrich A. Lutz and Herbert Lüthy have been included. Both the historical texts and the new ones combine reflections on a fundamental decision about the order of highly developed technical civilisations: It is about freedom or coercion as a guiding idea in general and specific decisions for innovations in technology and society. With contributions by Ivan Baron Adamovich, Ronald Clapham, Horst Feldmann, Friedrich A. von Hayek, Friedrich A. Lutz, Herbert Lüthy, Robert Nef, Karl R. Popper, Gerhard Prosi, Gerhard Schwarz, Klaus Schweinsberg, Christian Watrin, Michael Wohlgemuth.