Do you not see that as a perspective which is guided by fear?

This is an incredibly complex topic that can branch off into many sub-topics. One of which is what you call 'improvement of the world' I hear this opinion from people all the time and I see it as an assumption that may not be true. There is a lot to be said about times gone by.
Not too long ago in our past, life was simple and people knew real happiness.Sadly, today we have a massive amount of problems in society that didn't exist a few years back. Depression and mental health problems have reached epidemic proportions in our society. I believe this is a direct consequence of technology and the anti-social, isolating aspects that come with it.
Another thing to consider is the wider implications of our rapidly growing technology. As I'm sure you can too, I can imagine many scenarios where we might destroy ourselves through our technology. The very fact this is easy to imagine is a problem in itself because it increases the chances of it happening.
As a species, we have no idea if the GREAT LEAP has been passed yet or if it's ahead of us. The latter would mean our probable end.
People are also very quick to assume that we are the most intelligent humans today but I don't think so. In fact, I believe we are getting dumber and dumber with each generation. I believe the 'genius' benchmark has dropped considerably.
Finally, most of our opinions are dependant on our understanding of whats true. We put a lot of faith in people who are proven liars, who seek dominion over us with their power and authority. I say this for one reason.. can we REALLY trust our history books?

Thanks for getting me thinking. haha