During the Enlightenment, the notion of social progress was first defined and applied by the philosophs. Progress was the use of rational reason to achieve freedom and liberty. This view was expressed to varying degrees in the works of Thomas Jefferson, Locke, Rousseau, and Kant. Of these social philosophers perhaps Kant (1724-1804) summarizes the premise of the Enlightenment most concisely as "man's leaving his self-cased immaturity." (Sources of Western Tradition, p. 55) To Kant, immaturity was "the incapacity to use one's intelligence without the guidance of another." (Sources of the Western Tradition, p. 55) Consequently, the only requirement for promoting progress is the active use of the intellect in "all public matters." (Sources of the Western Tradition, p. 55) Kant's interpretation was shared in varying forms by the other great minds of the Enlightenment; however Adam Smith applied a different emphasis based on his economic theory.

For Adam Smith, the Industrial Revolution was a definite mark of social progress. While the Enlightenment featured progress in rational thought, for Smith, the Industrial Revolution signified the application of reason to the political economy of the state. By mechanizing the steps in a production process, factory owners were improving efficiency and enabling more goods to be produced. This higher production, in turn would raise the standard of living by providing greater access of these goods to the population. Yet, Smith neglects the reality of the worker's condition in the factory. While efficiency is improved through the division of labo

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