(This is an archived page, from the Patterns of Power Edition 3 book. Current versions are at book contents).
The term 'progressivism' is used here to describe a tolerance of change, a welcoming of different points of view and a readiness to challenge existing institutions. It is the opposite of conservatism in two key ways:
· Progressives believe that new rational thought should be applied to the world as it is now. They might not accept past experience as a justification for the status quo, in contrast to Burkean pragmatism (6.2.4.1). Thomas Sowell quoted Condorcet, for example, when describing the “unconstrained vision” in his book A Conflict of Visions:
“everything that bears the imprint of time must inspire distrust more than respect”. [p. 39]
· Progressives believe in making people's lives better by politically-initiated change. This is a viewpoint which is diametrically opposed to the conservative preference for small government and ‘laissez-faire’ (6.2.4.3).
The following sub-sections identify different degrees of progressivism:
· It can just mean a desire to improve people's lives, and to respond pragmatically to externally-imposed changes (6.2.5.1).
· Some progressives, though, are radicals and want to impose major ideologically-based changes on society (6.2.5.2).
· The most extreme form of progressivism is revolution: totally changing a country’s governance, inevitably using some violence (6.2.5.3).