The point that we are must deal with multiple metrics is crucial.
However, the metric of how everyday life has changed is one important metric.
One part of this, however, is that one doesn't know at what point a technology will become disruptive to either daily life or to another technological area.
Computers made great progress from 1950-1980 without really impacting daily life directly. They also made great progress from 1980-2009 and vastly impacted daily life.
Biological progress has been pitifull in comparison to the complexity of the human body and in comparison to the progress of information systems. But information systems have the ability to produce tools which in and of themselves create vast progress even as biological understanding otherwise continues make it merely incremental progress.
However, the metric of how everyday life has changed is one important metric.
One part of this, however, is that one doesn't know at what point a technology will become disruptive to either daily life or to another technological area.
Computers made great progress from 1950-1980 without really impacting daily life directly. They also made great progress from 1980-2009 and vastly impacted daily life.
Biological progress has been pitifull in comparison to the complexity of the human body and in comparison to the progress of information systems. But information systems have the ability to produce tools which in and of themselves create vast progress even as biological understanding otherwise continues make it merely incremental progress.