Moving the Mountain · Theme
The Meaning of Progress and Technology
How Moving the Mountain develops The Meaning of Progress and Technology.
The narrative explores how technological and economic advances (like electric power and intensive agriculture) are only meaningful when they serve to enhance human happiness, health, and equality, rather than merely increasing material wealth.
Where it surfaces
- Chapter III: The New World Unveiled
Advanced technology like electric power, airships, and clean harbors symbolize progress.
- Chapter IV
Progress is portrayed as the application of scientific knowledge and efficient administration to improve daily life, from food safety to urban design.
- VIII
The transformation of the Hudson River, the use of electric power, and the improvement of infrastructure illustrate the new definition of progress.
- The New Education and the Arts
The chapter discusses how technological and social progress, including the socialization of business and the press, contributed to a better society.
- XII
John observes the improvements in technology and social organization, conceding their advantages while questioning their cost to his sense of identity.