Ben Cobley’s "The Progress Trap: The Modern Left and the False Authority of History” is an exploration of how the progressive mindset acts as a form of power, conferring a right to act and control others.
The idea of progress emerged in the Age of Enlightenment. From Marxism and neoliberalism to today’s various identity politics, “progress” seems to offer an assurance that things will get better and that we are on the ‘right side of history’. However, in doing so, Cobley argues, it creates a form of authority that is simultaneously imaginary and dishonest, resting on confidence in a future that is really unknowable. We now have post-liberals who focus on that dark sides to progress, and those who air-quote “progress” as a “so-called” good.
Historian Robert Tombs says that this book is “outstanding in its verve, originality and coherence”, while Daniel Johnson in The Critic magazine described it as “a blunderbuss”.
FREE: Come along and give the debate both barrels.
NB: You DO NOT have to read this book in advance. Ben's job is to convince you that that'd be a good idea. But if you insist, the book is available here.
7pm – 8:30pm
9th September 2025
ONLINE: The ZOOM link will be sent out nearer the day
