Knowledge, progress and the knowledge of progress

Modern societies, and the modern knowledge that was seen to be both an emblem a precipitating cause of their modernity, have long been as marking great historical advance. Modernity, we assured, by social sciences in general sociology particular, is not only different from premodernity contemporary nonmodern these differences are also signs intellectual, moral material progress. In recent times, however, there chorus criticisms core presumptions undergird knowledge. Such sufficiently widespread intellectually serious superiority universality western Reason, which could previously taken for granted, now argued for. defences invariably draw on Kant and/or Hegel, case two defenders knowledge, Karl-Otto Apel Jürgen Habermas, whose arguments this article will outline evaluate. It argues neither convincingly shows transhistorical transcultural standards can uphold concludes no grounds cleave idea ‘progress’.