Progress through persuasion, not coercion
A political philosophy grounded in freedom, fallibilism, and decentralized problem-solving.
Take the Quiz →Liberty Progressivism descends from the Enlightenment tradition and critical rationalism. It holds that the means of progress are more fundamental than any particular progressive outcome. If we protect the mechanisms of error correction—free speech, distributed power, decentralized experimentation—good outcomes can emerge from the iterative process of learning.
When moral certainty replaces open inquiry, progressivism becomes regressive by preserving ideology and dogma instead of expanding knowledge. True progress requires epistemic humility: every society must stay open to being wrong.
Following philosopher David Deutsch, a Liberty Progressive treats freedom not as an abstract moral entitlement, but as a functional requirement for problem-solving. Freedom is what allows errors to be revealed, alternative solutions to be tested, and new explanations to be generated.
Modern progressivism can be mapped along two key dimensions that explain the majority of variance in political philosophy.
Where do you locate problem-solving capacity?
Liberty: Trust contestable, plural, exit-based systems. Progress emerges from individuals and institutions experimenting, criticizing, and learning from failure. Power should be distributed so it can be challenged.
Statist: Trust centralized coordination with uniform standards and expert control. Progress is directed through organized expertise, planning, and coordinated policy.
How should change occur?
Reformer: Society is improvable through iterative change—test, learn, adapt. Embrace fallibilism, reversibility, and tolerance of dissent. Existing institutions can be vehicles for progress.
Revolutionary: Society is fundamentally broken and requires systemic transformation. Moral certainty justifies urgent action. Ends can justify means when the cause is just.
When we plot the two axes together, four distinct political orientations emerge within the progressive sphere.
Liberty + Reformer
Pragmatic, pro-freedom, pro-abundance. Trust distributed problem-solving and iterative error correction. Embrace fallibilism and see criticism as essential input.
Liberty + Revolutionary
Radical decentralizers who believe systems are broken but should be replaced with open, permissionless alternatives rather than centralized control.
Statist + Reformer
Skilled managers who favor expert-driven policy and evidence-based reform through existing institutions. Accept tradeoffs and value process.
Statist + Revolutionary
Moral crusaders who believe society requires fundamental transformation through centralized action. Prioritize outcomes over process.
To sustain progress, society must preserve these essential mechanisms:
Take our 20-question quiz to discover where you fall on the two principal axes of modern progressivism.
Take the Quiz →