Progress can be measured in many ways, but one very tangible way is looking at economic development. In these terms, progress can be seen as very positive force, helping people rise up from poverty. But history shows that progress, even as measured by economic progress, always has its cost.
Take Germany in 1930s for example. Humilated by unequal treaties after the World War 1, German were suffering from a terrible economy and massive inflation. Then Hitler took the power and mobilized the national economy. In several years, the German economy recovered and was becoming one of the most powerful countries in Europe. But Hitler's economic miracle came at a terrible price. His plan was to use the German economic power to finance its military power. The Germany's aggression sparked the WW2, and this catastrophe killed tens fo millions of people all over the whole world, including countless millions of civilians. When progress serves evil, it results badly hurt.
Likewise, China's economic progress over the past 25 years has been truly remarkable. Standards of living have gone up dramatically, but the progress has negitive aspects as well as the obvious positive ones. As the gap between the rich and the poor widen, many social problems, like criminal and poverty become more pronounced. If the environmental problems made by factory and "progressive" human activities can not by addressed in hundreds of years, it will affect the living of chinese next several generations. At that time, the grandchildren might truly come to regret the current alleged "progress".
Finally, judging whether progress is good or bad, it is tuly depends on how we get the progress and how we use the progress.
