The paper addresses the concept of progress through an examination of different paradigms in the natural and social sciences. By considering how progress relates to various theoretical frameworks, it analyzes the distinction between teleology and evolution; scientific attempts to reconstruct a theory of history; definitions of capitalism that imply continuous and discontinuous conceptions of historical development; and different perspectives on premodern and modern institutions. The discussion concludes by outlining the implications these concepts hold for understanding modernity and progress. In doing so, the paper seeks to provide a nuanced account of how progress is portrayed in contemporary academic literature.