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It is essential to progress that each generation shall rebel against the Ideas of the generation before it?

To a certain extent progress has been an inevitable consequence of change. The world today is a far cry from that generations ago, thanks to those who questioned old beliefs, courageously fought their critics and came to conclusions and theories that have insured progress for us. Scientific theories have succeeded in dispelling many superstitious ideas, thereby laying the foundations for progress. Scientific progress is due to the article of faith of the scientist that no conclusion in science can be perfect. The development of the theory of the atom is proof of the dictum that nothing in science can be accepted as absolutely true. Progress In science and technology would not have been possible if ancient scientists did not question and rebel against theories held ss absolutely ins s by their predecessors. Protest or revolt against ideas of the past generations is very much seen in man’s political set-up. 'What was basic to slavery was the inequality of man. European liberalism succeeded in exploding the myth about the superiority of a few and has spread ideas about equality and the inviolable nature of human personality.

But not all changes can lead to progress. Some old values die hard. Changes in political systems in certain countries of the world in the past have proved destructive.

It was Tennyson who sang:

The old order changeth yielding place to new

And God fulfils Himself in many ways

Lest one good custom should corrupt the world.

Change has often been the key to progress. Without change there is no progress. But change can come about only if newer and newer ideas are thought of and translated into action. In other words, the ideas of a past generation are challenged by the succeeding generation, and the new ideas which the new generation comes out with gain currency and acceptance in the course of time and result in progress. Non-conformism, protest and rebellion thus pave the way for progress.


There was a time when the present astronomical notions were anathema to the Christian world in Europe. Copernicus and Galileo, the fathers of modern astronomy, had anxious moments in their lives because of the rebellious notions that they came out with. But in the course of time their ideas dispelled many traditional beliefs from the minds of men. Likewise the truths about matter and life Newton and Darwin enunciated brought about a change in the outlook of men for the better. Science has played a big role in bringing about a changed outlook. There was a time in man’s history when he believed in all kinds of superstitions. These superstitions were of a wide-ranging nature and varied frorti human sacrifice at the altar of gods and goddesses to beliefs associated with the heavenly bodies, eclipses, witchcraft, etc. Today scientific ideas and their application to life have enabled man to progress a good deal. Progress in science and technology would not have been possible if scientists like Galileo, Newton and Darwin had not rebelled against the ideas and theories about the universe held by their forefathers.

Protest or revolt against the ideas of the past generation is very much seen in man’s political and social set-ups. The earliest man was a hunter; from hunting he came over to agriculture and industries. Primitive agriculture gave way to mechanised and more profitable agriculture. Small-scale industries came to be replaced by mass-production industries. All this became possible because of newer and newer ideas. With these changes man’s economic systems also changed. From tribalism and feudalism he went on to capitalism and democratic socialism. No change would have come about if not for great men who conceived new ideas and put them into practice. Monarchy gave way to democracy; imperialism and colonialism gave way to political liberty and self-rule. Men like Rousseau, Voltaire, Marx and Engels disseminated revolutionary ideas through their writings. These ideas of equality, liberty and fraternity account for much of world’s progress today. One must add that these ideas when allied to extremism can have deleterious consequences.

The old values of life too have changed as a result of the impact of revolutionary ideas on them. There was a time when slavery as an institution passed muster. But voices were raised against this evil practice and it was finally abolished in the United States of America and other countries. The bold step taken by Abraham Lincoln, even at the risk of a civil war, tolled the death-cnell of slavery. The dignity of the individual came to be valued.

Change for the sake of change can lead to harm, for old values that have proved beneficial and have stood the test of time cannot be ignored or condemned in the bid to chop and change for the better. Rousseau, who is often referred to as the ‘Father of French Revolution’, was emphatic in his denunciation of the tendency to condemn old values. He advocated the retention of political values that were beneficial. There had been critics of factors that are the bases of society — family, parental authority, respect for elders, authority, etc. But these have, like religion, thrived on criticism and continue to hold society together. Opposition to sacrosanct social institutions cannot be considered as effort to change for the better.

Men and ideas have changed the world and shaped it anew. In all the spheres of human activity it is protest, non-conformism and revolt such as those that manifested in the lives of men like Abraham Lincoln, Marx and Gandhi that have made the world progress. These great men knew the truth enshrined in the lines:

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow;

Is our destined end or way

But to act, that each tomorrow

Brings us farther than today

The progress the world has achieved so far is not the end. More and more ideas — perhaps non-conformist, unorthodox and rebellious — will be voiced by men in all spheres of human activity. The ideas already voiced are changing the world fast. As Alvin Toffler has said in his ‘Future Shock’, “Change

is avalanching upon our heads.”
It is essential to progress that each generation shall rebel against the Ideas of the generation before it? Reviewed by Jame Collins on 1:24 AM Rating: 5

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