Is social and legal progress inevitable? If so, is it a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy, where one can merely sit back and anticipate improvements in all areas of society, including the legal sphere? The answer to the first question is yes; to the second, no. To bring about positive, progressive transformations, there is a need for a struggle for change, for legal advancement. So on what grounds can it be considered inevitable if a struggle is necessary for its realization? The paradox of the situation lies in the fact that the fight itself is unavoidable: people are ‘doomed’ to strive for progressive change, as this stems from their deepest needs – their bio-social needs for security and freedom. Opponents of social and legal progress may halt or reverse it, but such a scenario would be only temporary, as it is impossible to perpetually stand in the way of the fulfillment of humanity’s objective needs. The pessimism regarding the idea of progress that emerged in the 20th century and persists today is linked to inflated expectations, a misunderstanding of the nature of progress, changing criteria for its assessment, rising demands, availability heuristic, and so on. However, pessimism remains the preserve of misguided intellectuals, as this idea has long since ‘gone’ to the masses: all political movements and leaders promise their people a progressive improvement in their lives. Thus, social and legal progress, among other things, is inevitable.