What does 'progressive' mean?

There is a good discussion going on over at CampusProgress regarding how to define "progressive." Here are a few good ideas from their blog:

When I think of what being a progressive means, I
believe that it means you are not necessarily
aligned with any one political party. Instead, you
advocate and believe in policies that will raise
up and help all people, regardless of race,
socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation,
etc. Being a progressive means that you take
consideration of others’ situation, not just
your own when formulating a policy. Similarly, a
progressive believes in policies that enhance the
collective good, rather than the good of a few
individuals.

Jerilyn Libby, Wellesly College

My gut reaction, non-analytically speaking, is the
thing that most defines progressives and sets them
apart is their conception of the past and future.
i.e. We see problems and lessons in the past that
move us to imagine a future-improved. Conversely,
conservatives live up to their name and look to
the past as the halycon days of society, desiring
to conserve as much as possible from a dead
romanticized era.

Aaron Hall, Amherst College

Progressives believe in maximizing human freedom
and helping society (and its individual members)
achieve their full potential. To that end,
progressives believe that all of society's members
must have access to education, health care, and
economic necessities in order to fully contribute
to democracy, the economy, and society as a whole.
Power, wealth, and information must flow freely
rather than be concentrated in the hands of a few
so that all of its citizens have the means to
contribute.

Alternatively, you could say that progressives
believe in progress (i.e. change) and oppose
anything that makes society rigid--that is, not
changing (smash the power!).

Andrew Fong, Harvard University

Join in, and submit your own definitions of what being progressive means to you.

Share this post on:

 •    •    •    •    •