Philosophies of progress differ in their form, but all must answer certain fundamental questions to satisfy certain analytic challenges. These problems concern the relationship of progress and history, as well as the constitutive elements of a given idea of progress itself.
- How does a particular idea of progress assess (or not) the advancement of history? Without history, there can be no progress, for progress is the advancement from one phase or condition to another. Whether progress is a process or an event, it must be historically contextualized.
- In what fashion does progress occur? Progress may be linear and accumulative, or it could be non-linear and abrupt in nature.
- Does progress have an end state? Is there an end of history, or does a specific flavor of progress advance infinitely?
- What is the nature of change which constitutes a particular idea of progress?
- How is this progress spatially organized? How or why may it be so distributed?
- What is the mechanism of progress? How can this means be distinguished from its end?
