 Clive wrote: |
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Hi,
"Hundreds of millions of people progressing in leaps and bounds towards a materially-progressive heaven." (D. Lessing)
Without some context, it's hard to give an exact meaning to this phrase. Can you supply such a context?
Possibly 'materially progresssive' refers to 'making progress in a material way', which in turn is intended to contrast ironically with the non-material concept of heaven. Hard to say.
Myself, I'd omit the hyphen.
Best wishes, Clive
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Clive,
I think you can infer some of the context from the fact that it's a quotation from the writer Doris Lessing. She writes on social themes, often from a feminist perspective, and was a Communist who has since renounced that ideology. So it is probable that "materially-progressive heaven" alludes to an ultimate goal of a more just society where people are also materially better-off.
"Heaven" in that context is a synonym for "nirvana", rather than having a religious connotation. That's how I would read it anyway, but I agree it's difficult to be confident without the full context.
By the way, personally, I would retain the hyphen. "Progressive" is associated with "materially" rather than "heaven", and the hyphen makes that clear.