Blog prompt: Is progress necessarily beneficial for society?

Whether progress is beneficial for a society is often debated. We often discuss “progress” in terms of medical, technological and economic advancement. Undoubtedly such advancements have obvious benefits for society. Medical, technological and economic progress can help raise the standard of living of people in a country. With better access to medical science, the life expectancy of people will increase. Technological advancement improves the daily lives of people (e.g. transportation infrastructure, electricity, etc.) and exposes them to a wider range of information and knowledge, thus expanding their understanding of the world around them. Economic progress raises the standard of living and quality of life.

However, progress is not necessarily beneficial for society. It also comes with its disadvantages. This can be seen in Anita Desai’s “The Village by the Sea.” In the novel, development plans were made to build a city of factories, shopping centres and railway stations in the village of Thul. Mainly a fishing village, Thul’s inhabitants relied on the sea for livelihood and the development of Thul will rob them of the natural land and their only means to survive. According to Sayyid Ali, the “city man”, this will force villagers into Bombay, increasing the unemployment rate and adding to the pollution in the city.

We can also see such concerns in Singapore today. For the sake of a sound transport infrastructure, many old buildings, historical sites and natural environments have been replaced by expressways, MRT stations and tracks.

For example, the Bidadari Cemetery near my primary school was demolished to build a new town. One of the oldest burial grounds in Singapore, the Bidadari Cemetery was the burial site of English sailor Augustine Podmore Williams, whose life the writer Joseph Conrad based his novel “Lord Jim” on, and Lim Boon Keng, the social reformist, among other notable people. I feel that we should conserve this site as it is part of Singapore’s heritage. Much of Singapore’s history and past lay beneath the soil of the Bidadari Cemetery, now exhumed for development. It is a great pity!



Therefore, while I agree that progress can improve our lifestyles, it is not totally a gain because we may lose our heritage in the process.