The Problem With Progressivism: Go Conservative or Bust

Progressivism has a trajectorial paradox that becomes its downfall

Photo by Odd Fellow on Unsplash

It sounds counterintuitive, but the fundamental issue with progressivism is the paradox of its trajectory — either get what you want and become conservative or get lost in the eventual spiral of insanity

Progressivism is rooted in a neverending revolution. Whatever ideas they hold today could be out of fashion tomorrow. The goal of progressivism is to always stay in fashion. “We don’t like how things are and we want to change it.”

Conservativism is rooted in foundation and principles. Ideas don’t, or rarely, change because there are principles in place that explain how things are or should be. “We know what works and we want to stick with it.”

There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with being unhappy with the current situation and wanting change. There’s nothing wrong with liking the way things are or have been and not wanting to change.

The problem, as usual, comes from the extremes. Those that are “too progressive” or “too conservative.”

For many progressives, the idea of becoming a conservative is an insult. And, in all fairness, for many conservatives the idea of becoming progressive is equally bothersome.

Conservativism is stagnant. It’s “hold here”. Progressivism is movement. Non-stop and neverending movement.

Conservative vs Progressive Policies

To understand the issue presented a bit better, let’s look at an example of progressive vs conservative thought and policy in action.

Currently, laws A, B, and C have passed but progressives would like to pass progressive policies D, E, and F.

Conservatives wish to keep things the way they are and want to vote against D, E, and F. Because “doing something” is generally preferred over “doing nothing” in politics, politicians end up compromising and the pendulum slowly swings to the left and D is passed in to law, but E and F do not pass