The Infinite Regress of Impact: On the Impossibility of Final Assessment for 'World-Changing' Endeavours

This paper argues that any attempt to definitively assess the impact of a 'world-changing' endeavour—be it in thought, technology, entrepreneurship, or politics—inevitably succumbs to an infinite regress. We propose a formal "Regress of Impact Model" that delineates three constitutive layers of this regress: the retreat from quantitative metrics to substantive value, from social recognition to intrinsic content, and from proximate to long-term consequences. This model synthesizes critiques from epistemology, the sociology of knowledge, and technology ethics, demonstrating that the 'world-changing' status of an action or idea is not a property to be measured but a perpetually deferred and reinterpreted narrative. The paper concludes by advocating for a pragmatic and responsibility-oriented model for evaluation that operates consciously within, rather than attempting to resolve, this fundamental regress.