Meliorism is the idea in metaphysical thinking that progress is a real concept leading to an improvement of the world. It holds that humans can, through their interference with processes that would otherwise be natural, produce an outcome which is an improvement over the aforementioned natural one. Metaphysics (Greek words meta = after/beyond and physics = nature) is a branch of philosophy concerned with the study of first principles and being (ontology). ... Progress can refer to: The idea of a process in which societies or individuals become better or more modern (technologically and/or socially). ...

In comparison, one may contrast this concept with that of apologism. Apologism is the metaphysical philosophy that argues that it is wrong for humans to attempt to alter the conditions of life in the mortal sphere of influence. ...

Another important understanding of the meliorist tradition comes from the American Pragmatic tradition. One can read about it in the works of William James and John Dewey.