progressesio

Progressesio is a theoretical framework for analyzing how progress unfolds across technological, economic, social, and cultural domains. It treats progress as a dynamic, multi-dimensional process that can be tracked with indicators such as productivity, life expectancy, education, and resilience. The framework emphasizes iterative change, feedback loops, and non-linear trajectories, including accelerations, plateaus, and reversals.

The term progressesio was coined in the early 2020s by scholars studying meta-progress indicators and long-term forecasting; its etymology combines Latin roots for progress with a suffix used to denote processes.

In progressesio, the state of progress at time t is represented by a vector p(t) across domains. Evolution is described with differential or difference equations that incorporate external shocks, policy inputs, and social adaptation. Models often include baseline growth, saturation effects, and potential stagnation or rebound.

Applications include policy forecasting, risk assessment, and ethical evaluation of technological pathways. The framework helps compare strategies aimed at maximizing composite progress while considering equity, sustainability, and autonomy, and it supports scenario analysis to explore trade-offs among different dimensions of progress.

Critics note that progressesio embeds normative assumptions about what counts as progress, potentially privileging certain domains over others. Operational measurement is challenging due to divergent metrics and cultural values, and model predictions can be sensitive to assumptions about shocks and adaptation.

Related concepts include progress studies, systems thinking, technology forecasting, and resilience theory.