I have been debating whether to put the adjective, in the political sense, “progressive”, in quotes since progressivism doesn’t seem to be about what we would consider human progress. I am also considering doing the same for “conservative” when used in the political sense as many conservatives are against the status quo and so not really conservative.
For us progress means individual actualization, free will, free minds generally, free markets, and a government small enough that everyday people can pursue their dreams (or even just live their lives) without coercion from a king, a commissar, or a committee. That seems progressive to us, a goal for humanity to reach for, but it is not what people generally mean when they call a person or politician “progressive”. Usually they mean quite the opposite.
