Let me correct my sentence: there's a blind belief that _technological_ progress automatically equates to better life conditions.
And to clarify: I'm not saying "all technology is bad", but rather "not all technological progress is automatically good for humanity".
As an example, living conditions of hunter-gatherers were way, way better than living conditions of the first people in cities, and I'd argue, depending on which parameters you use, might still be better than our modern, big-city living conditions (except maybe for the richest 1% of the world)
On average technology has been overwhelmingly good. The GP is too vague, but what is the alternative to blind progress being proposed - some ethicist deciding what's good? When has that ever work out well? I'm pretty sure it has 100% track record of failure, I don't believe modern ethicists will do any better than luddites, inquisition, or Paul Elrich just because they have better manners. In fact I think less of a bioethicist than of an inquisitor, at least the latter had general ignorance as an excuse.
I, personally, think "techno-utopianists" don't go far enough. The contributions of some supposed non-technological progress - even to an extent of the institutional progress, but especially of some supposed cultural/ethical values improving, etc. - is overrated. Ultimately, it's all downstream of technology - only the technology enables the complex economy of abundance, and combined they allow good institutions to propagate. Even modern societies, as soon as they become poor, quickly start losing a veneer of "ethical progress". And we don't even usually see actual technological degradation.
> On average technology has been overwhelmingly good.
In order to achieve this, we are destroying the environment, other species and their habitats.
> but what is the alternative to blind progress being proposed
You don’t need and ethicist for this - but an accountant. We need to get stricter about negative externalities. For example, every inventor/manufacturer should be forced to take back their product after end of life. This will slow progress but if done right, it will avoid destruction brought by technology or at least not palm it off on to poorer society or environment.
Historians agree (based for example on studying human remains) that they were much healthier, amongst other things. Check out the book "Against the Grain" for example.
This argument is silly: given a choice between living in a cave, or in a forest, completely outside of any civilization, and living in a primitive village, I'd choose the village any day. As would (and did) vast majority of people. To me, the social and physical construct of the first village looks like a huge advancement in terms of living conditions, and the quality of life has been improving steadily every since.
Occasional hiking into some wilderness and sleeping in a tent for a few nights is okay, but I am not a wild animal, and I don't want to live like a wild animal, surrounded by wild animals.
And to clarify: I'm not saying "all technology is bad", but rather "not all technological progress is automatically good for humanity".
As an example, living conditions of hunter-gatherers were way, way better than living conditions of the first people in cities, and I'd argue, depending on which parameters you use, might still be better than our modern, big-city living conditions (except maybe for the richest 1% of the world)