Quora – Is conservatism holding back progress or moving towards it?
Depends.
Progress occurs with the search for truth (Q3) — and only that. This effort is evolutionary. Interestingly, the search for truth is how natural evolution works as well. Moreover, the Creator keeps it all interesting by keeping creation in perpetual motion.
Liberalism (progressivism) is Q1. When it lacks reason (as it often does), it does not move humanity forward. In fact, because it focuses on subjective truths (postmodernism), it creates tribalism. Consequently, it moves society backward. See Marxist revolutions dismantling civilization, for example.
Conservatism also does not move society forward (Q2). However, in contrast to progressivism, it does not necessarily move humanity backward; rather, it “conserves” objective truths already established. This is what the Bible (OT+NT) represents. Civilization is created this way. However, because civilization and creation are perpetually changing, a rigid, unthinking adoption of objective truths can and will lead to failure (see Islam). It’s like a perfectly adapted bird in nature. Its niche will change. If the bird does not evolve, the species will eventually disappear.
Reason, and reason alone, moves society forward (Q3). Once, faith made that a primary goal. It’s labeled Grace in the pursuit of salvation in faith. In Q3, the presumption is that absolute truth exists (monotheism), but that no human can claim it. Sometimes religious conservatives loosely claim truth as absolute truth (i.e., the Bible being inspired by the word of God). Unfortunately, this interferes with progress to Grace (reason). When conservatives emphatically claim truth, again, see Islam claiming absolutely that the Quran is the Word of God; progress to Grace (reason) is almost entirely sabotaged, creating religious tribalism, emotional immaturity, and destructive superstition.
FINAL NOTE: One thing that makes America great is its monotheistic religious pluralism (a constitutional requirement). This is how the American Republic addresses the problem identified in the prior paragraph. Europe took the secular path, which leads inescapably to postmodernism and decline if monotheism is not eventually rediscovered and embraced.
