There has been huge progress in both average and total human happiness (and welfare, QALY, etc) over the past few centuries. Most of it has been technological, but a significant part can be attributed to changes in common moral beliefs. A change in morals which causes or enables greater happiness, I call moral progress: change for the better.
The large majority of humans have been emancipated (women, ethnic and religious minorities), legally and socially. Most people are no longer taught they are inherently inferior, or evil and dangerous, or hated and punished by the gods, or to blame for the sins of their ancestors. Consequently they believe it much less themselves.
Furthermore, most or all technological and scientific progress (which has greatly increased human happiness) consists of things that accepted morals of the Christian era, up to a few centuries ago, forbade. Remember "think not of happiness in this life, but in the next"? Remember the protests against analgesics, and before that obstetrics, and before that all surgery and medicine in general? The claims that suffering was godly punishment for human sins and it was sinful (morally wrong) to alleviate that suffering? The loss of such beliefs among most people can certainly be called "moral progress" in my view.
Today's post, Whither Moral Progress? was originally published on 16 July 2008. A summary (taken from the LW wiki):
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