Social progressivism

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Social progressivism is the view that social mores, human nature, and morality is not fixed throughout history but is revisable. It is assumed for example that marriage, family, monogamy, gender roles, and gender identity, are socially constructed. Social progressives are often secularists who believe that science and rationalism render traditional beliefs obsolete. Social progressives are opposed by social conservatives who contend that radical changes to long standing traditional institutions not only ignores the existence of a fixed human nature, but also the fact that traditions contain practical knowledge that is the product of many generations of trial and error.

In the United States, some social progressives advocated the abolition of slavery, Women's suffrage and civil rights reforms. Some advocated the passage of prohibition while others worked towards its repeal. Current issues associated with social progressivism in the Western world include legal recognition of same-sex marriage, contraceptives, embryonic stem-cell research and abortion. Public education is a subject of great interest to social progressives, many of whom support comprehensive sex education but oppose school prayer.

Social progressives may be either left-wing or right-wing, depending on the kind of mores they wish to change vis-à-vis the status quo. A social progressive advocating drug legalization may be seen as left-wing (anarchist) or right-wing (libertarian). In Canada the former federal Progressive Conservative Party often combined a social progressive agenda with a right-wing economic agenda, such as Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney supporting multi-culturalism and a neo-liberal economic agenda.

[edit] See also

• American Civil Liberties Union
• People for the American Way
• Third-wave feminism
• Anti-clericalism

[edit] External links

• The Progressive Movement in USA

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