What Does It Mean to Be Progressive?
First, let’s begin with the adjective “progressive”. A simple Google search shows it’s related to words like “progress’, “development”, “reform”, “innovation”, “forward-thinking”..etc. Through these words, we can see that to think progressively means to think along the lines of development and innovation. Though you now may ask: what kind of progress? Here, we need to emphasize the difference between thinking progressively and being progressive. Anyone may think progressively about something, but not everyone is progressive. Here’s an example:
Person A is an engineer who just discovered a solution to an engineering problem in their work. They applied progressive concepts to come up with an innovative solution. Person A also thinks women should not be in leadership positions. Although Person A thinks along the lines of progress, we may not consider them progressive, and here’s why:
A progressive is someone who thinks progressively about the values and principles that guide our society. They think progressively about how society could be healthier, wealthier, and more equal. Another way of putting it would be that a progressive is someone who values the progression of society and humanity, and are willing to have their own beliefs challenged for that purpose.
