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Abstract
This article proposes a brief conceptualization of the category of myth understood as a narrative that gives meaning to the human animal, focusing on the myth of progress, a modern myth born of the Christian religion, renewed today by an unshakeable faith in scientific experimentation, technical advancement, and the constant improvement of human affairs. It critically analyzes the belief in upward progress and its supposed benefits, placing the discussion within the contemporary debate on human impact on the planet. This reflection stems from research that is subject to the central objective of the master's thesis, based on recognizing the effect of progress on aspects related to the behavior of the species as a whole, the behavior of individuals subjected to this harmful myth, and, in particular, to understanding how the mythology of progress shapes an enlightened faith, a modern narrative in which the ideal of perfecting human affairs has been embodied in the worsening of human relations and of the species itself with the planet. In terms of methodology, the research was conducted using a qualitative approach and meta-synthesis tools, whereby the research consulted (theoretical studies, case studies, background information) was treated as primary data or sources, resulting in new levels of theoretical analysis. The results are summarized in an approach to the terms and concepts of postcritical theory associated with human progress, where humanism constitutes a modern correlate of the myth that in turn sustains anthropocentrism, the desire for self-transcendence of individual humans and the species, ontological dualism, and the most blatant destruction of the current manifestations of Life on Gaia, all aimed at sustaining a humanity that is reproductive, consumerist, and deranged by a dream of a bright future and unbridled success. The most relevant conclusion of this article revolves around the fact that the narratives and developments of the myth of progress position it as a vehicle of knowledge that gives meaning to human action, for which teleology and anthropocentric humanist exceptionalism with biblical roots and some of their impacts on the species are satirized and vulgarized, from their supposed uniqueness and from their relationship with all those with whom we cohabit the planet.
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