Written by Andrew T. Walker |
Thursday, August 22, 2024
The problem with progressivism is not simply an ephemeral set of policies. The problem is that progressivism is a worldview with a set of metaphysical assumptions. And while I would never go so far as to equate Christianity with conservatism proper, there is no metaphysical comparison between progressivism and conservatism. They possess an organizing logic of total contrasts. Conservatism champions a constrained idea of the universe, one of moral givenness and order. For this reason, it builds within the confines of limits and hands down this moral inheritance through successive generations.
Do you ever wonder why everything progressivism touches eventually rots? While some may question the exact correlation-causation link I am making, the rearview mirror of history seems to tell us a very plain truth: The preponderance of progressive ideas and influence in society corresponds to statist and authoritarian government, decadent and perverse morality (especially sexual morality), family decline, cultural despair, crime-ridden streets, and, yes, even ugly architecture. Cultural decline and social pathologies result from the progressive vision for humanity and government.
This is not, chiefly, a reality that stems from politics alone. It stems from theological realities that spill into the political. Our political order traffics in deeply theological and moral realities that deceive us into believing that political arrangements are surface-level conflicts over tax policies. Behind every political arrangement is an organizing logic that will lead either to truth and flourishing or error and destruction. My settled conviction is that the organizing logic of progressivism leads to decay, degeneracy, and destruction.
The problem with progressivism is not simply an ephemeral set of policies. The problem is that progressivism is a worldview with a set of metaphysical assumptions. And while I would never go so far as to equate Christianity with conservatism proper, there is no metaphysical comparison between progressivism and conservatism. They possess an organizing logic of total contrasts. Conservatism champions a constrained idea of the universe, one of moral givenness and order.