implyingimplications said:
I see what you did, there. Okay - so let's not assume that either of us is saying that our favorite half of history is uniformly excellent in the realm of social values. Maybe I exaggerated when I said I liked all traditional (western) social values. I suppose that if I dug I'd find a few I dislike, though I can't think of any off the top of my head.
Fair enough, that was the point I was opposed to, that, by virtue of being old, it is automatically better.
implyingimplications said:
Though you must understand when you say things like "Society is supposed to progress", that sounds an awful lot like you're saying that all new social values are better than all old ones.
Perhaps I worded that badly, yes.
What I meant was, society isn't static. The traditional values that you support evolved out of something else, something you'd probably support less. If things are going well, society will improve itself, its values would be better than it had before, which is why I used the word "supposed". And, yes, of course somehow has to sit down and decide what is "better".
In the last few hundred years, western society has changed in various ways most people living today would consider as improvements. We aren't ruled by hereditary monarchs anymore, slavery abolished, democracy was extended to all citizens regardless of race or gender, we protect the rights of workers and children etc.