Just a definition of progressivism I came across.
What Is a Progressive?
...Recently, I had a conversation with a colleague about progressives. His point was that the progressives of today are radically different from the progressives of the first two decades of the twentieth century—men like Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. My response was that the differences were the accidents of the times in which they lived, but that there was an essence to progressivism that remains largely unchanged. As I contemplated that conversation over the next couple of days, I attempted to define that essence.
The following list of progressive core beliefs is the fruit of that contemplation.
- The average person is unable to control key aspects of life, especially in terms of economics and politics.
- The common person is often a slave to his/her own biological impulses. These cannot be controlled, except through an unhealthy process of psychological repression. Therefore, the best that can be achieved is some level of control of the consequences that arise from those impulses.
- Traditional morality, ideas, and ignorance often blind the individual to his own best interests, so he needs to be protected from the ill effects of his own bad decisions.
- Collective actions in pursuit of the common good are generally preferable to individual initiatives, which are inherently traditional, self-seeking, inappropriate, and/or unstable.
- It is often necessary to deceive the common people to achieve those ends that are ultimately in the best interests of the society as a whole.
- The government is the only available equalizer in the struggle between the individual and the economic and political forces that are beyond his control.
- Centralized national government actions are more equitable, more efficient, and more beneficial than the actions of communities or local governments.
- While some level of democracy is desirable, the real work of government should be done by trained experts rather than left to the whims of a largely ignorant population.
Basically, the ethical progressive replaces the traditional concept of God as the benevolent provider of all good gifts with a kind of faith in the state.
In short, experts in a centralized government know better than an ignorant people.