Certain features of our "progress" may be urged as presumptions in its favour, but there are always offsets, and it has always been easy to make out a case that, from the point of view of increasing happiness, the tendencies of our progressive civilisation are far from desirable.

In short, it cannot be proved that the unknown destination towards which man is advancing is desirable.

The movement may be Progress, or it may be in an undesirable direction and therefore not Progress.

This is a question of fact, and one which is at present as insoluble as the question of personal immortality.

It is a problem which bears on the mystery of life.
Moreover, even if it is admitted to be probable that the course of civilisation has so far been in a desirable direction, and such as would lead to general felicity if the direction were followed far enough, it cannot be proved that ultimate attainment depends entirely on the human will.