Creating a Progressive Values Movement
Conservatives, through their think tanks, have worked out a common set of values that divergent conservative groups share and that form the basis for cooperation. Progressives, on the other hand, are still largely unaware of the set of values that unite them. Once progressives understand the moral system that they share, it will be possible to articulate and sustain a movement based on values, principles and policy directions that is needed to win elections and support progressive organizations.
At the moment, progressives tend to organize around particular issues and causes: a sustainable environment, anti-war and peace organizations, labor rights, women's rights, human rights, and so on. Groups working on particular issues often form coalitions that are based on common self-interest to work toward a particular program or policy initiative. But these coalitions are usually short term because once the program or policy is either achieved or is unsuccessful, there is no further basis for ongoing cooperation. Coalitions come apart readily because it is very common for groups to have substantial differences about policy details or tactics. And coalitions are hard to maintain over time since groups often compete with each other for limited funding and resources, creating counterproductive tension.
What is needed is a focus on creating a progressive values movement that recognizes the shared values that define who progressives are, and that encompasses the work done by groups working on many different issue areas and programs. Recognizing the importance of higher-level values, principles, and policy directions can help progressives overcome common differences about policy details and tactics so that more enduring progressive goals can be achieved. The key insight for progressives is that all groups express an aspect of nurturant morality. The movement can be organized around nurturant moral values because these are progressive values. Once this is recognized, supported, and extended, progressives can be on their way to greater unity and achieve a broad-based and lasting progressive values movement to counter conservative efforts to force Strict Father morality into our society and institutions of government. Learning how each issue and program relates to first-order values and how to talk about those values is critical. Enacting broad-based strategic initiatives is one of the best ways to get individuals and organizations to work together to achieve progressive goals based on shared values.
Types of Progressives
How to do progressives benefit from the strengths of diversity while achieving unity? To understand how to unify many issue-oriented organizations and activists, it's important to clearly understand the types of progressives that there are in society and how each is expressing an aspect of nurturant morality.
From sociological or political perspectives, there seem to be dozens, if not hundreds, of types of liberals and progressives. But from a cognitive perspective, defined by modes of thought, there are just six:
- Socio-economic: All issues are a matter of money and class.
- Identity Politics: Our group deserves its share now.
- Environmentalists: Respect for the earth and a healthy future.
- Civil Libertarians: Freedoms are threatened and have to be protected.
- Spiritual progressives: Religion and spirituality nurture us and are central to a fulfilling life.
- Anti-authoritarians: We have to fight the illegitimate use of authority.
All of the types of progressives are right. They all share a commitment to nurturant values, but prioritize different ones. Often this is a source of tension, since a person who strongly identifies with one type may not see how the others are similar. The key to forging unity is to see that each type is a special case of a more general identity grounded in a moral system that links all progressives together.
All types of progressives adhere to the central moral values of empathy and responsibility. The differences from different priorities are from other values.
Socioeconomic progressives believe that the most important considerations involve money and class. The best solutions are therefore economic and social class solutions.
These progressives believe that economic inequality lies at the heart of most societal problems, and therefore that redressing economic inequality is the best solution. Crime, infant mortality, low education levels — most, if not all, social maladies — would be greatly reduced if people were more equal economically.
Fairness is the key value here, along with equality and opportunity: Fairness fundamentally demands that every American be given an equal chance at economic success.
Identity Politics progressives are those who either belong to or identify with a particular oppressed group who desires their liberation and an end to oppression.
All progressives agree on the importance of liberation for such groups. It doesn't matter whether the focus is on correcting the injustices of the past or taking a more global stance that oppression is wrong regardless of group affiliation. All oppression is wrong, and to right the wrongs means extending rights to everyone in society equally.
The shared values of responsibility, fairness, trust, cooperation and community-building all figure prominently in extending rights to all.
Environmentalists focus on the sustainability of the earth and the natural environment, the sacredness of nature, and protecting native peoples.
At the heart of environmentalism is the value of sustainability. We want all life to continue on this planet, and this means that we must stop doing damage to it. This is the only way to ensure that future generations will be able to live healthy, fulfilling lives. It is also the only way to show proper respect for the source of all life. Furthermore, we have to protect the rights of native peoples.
To live sustainably means being good stewards. This in turns means:
- Doing as little damage as possible to the planet: selective logging, using renewable energy, minimizing pollution.
- Finding ways to undo the damage we do: recycling, permaculture, reseeding of logged forests.
Looking at these commitments in terms of broader progressive values, environmentalism is about nurturance and the future: nurturance of the planet and of future generations. Empathy and protection are the primary values.
Civil libertarians: These progressives focus on the notion that human beings have a fundamental right to live their lives without harassment and harm being inflicted on them by arbitrary power. Issues of freedom, liberty, democracy (equal sharing of power), and individual rights are paramount.
Government, as the ultimate holder of power, is the greatest potential threat to these freedoms. Thus, civil libertarians believe, we must be on guard at all times for even small threats to our civil liberties, because the slope down to authoritarianism is very slippery. Thomas Jefferson’s famous quote sums up the central commitment of civil libertarians: “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.”
Protection is the central value here. Individuals are vulnerable to mistreatment, and should be protected, and freedoms themselves must be protected. Responsibility, Fairness, and Opportunity are also important: with freedom comes the imperative to use that freedom responsibly, and it is essential that freedom be available to everyone in a fair and equal manner.
Spiritual progressives focus on the nurturant aspects of religion and spirituality. Service, compassion, and community, connects spiritual progressives to other people and the world, and are central to their spiritual practice.
Nurturant spirituality comes in many forms: for Christians, a nurturant God transmits nurturant values through grace and love; for Jews, Tikkun olam & mdash; a duty to heal the world; for Buddhists, a vow of campassion for all beings.
For spiritual progressives, empathy is the paramount value and responsibility is central to the spirtual practice of maintaining communities and service to others. Spiritual progressives, of course, seek meaningful fulfillment in life for themselves and others.
Anti-authoritarians: Civil libertarians and anti-authoritarians share a deep distrust of authority. Where civil libertarians specifically emphasize the interplay between the government and individual freedom, anti-authoritarians point to the larger problem of authority in general: how people and organizations with more power can threaten and harm those with less power. Authority figures here are broadly conceived: they can be large corporations, police departments, even parents.
The central values for anti-authoritarians are fairness, freedom from oppression, and protection of those oppressed. It’s just plain wrong to use power to harm or oppress others, regardless of the particular societal arena in which the power dynamic plays out. Anti-authoritarians also pursue honest and open communication as a defense against the control of information by anti-authoritarian forces.
Types of Attitudes
What divides progressives, what unites us? To answer this, we must first understand the common differences in modes of operation of progressive groups:
- Local interests
- Idealism versus pragmatism
- Radical change versus moderate change
- Militant versus moderate advocacy
- Types of thought processes: socioeconomic, identity politics, environmentalist, civil libertarian, spiritual, and antiauthoritarian.
Progressives commonly focus on specific programs. This creates many roadblocks to unity since different types of progressives typically want different types of programs and become divided over policy details. And programs are not what the public really wants to hear about. Instead, they want to know why you support a program, and what do you believe in — what your values are. For progressives seeking unity, focusing on values will not only help you to connect to the public, but will help you connect to other progressives since values rise above policy details and programs, and inform policy directions that can unify many different progressive groups.
In practice, the different modes of operation often seem to conflict since they naturally lead to different approaches to enact specific policies. For instance, different groups specialize in working with legislators, educating the public, conducting scientific studies or academic research, contesting corporate power or organizing the grassroots. These become common sources of division.
But these can be looked at in a new perspective — each mode of operation represents a different complementary skill or approach that can forward the same values in a larger movement. For instance, an environmental organization might focus on educating the public, and testifying at congressional hearings about the need to protect forests from excessive logging. Another may take a militant approach to protect trees from loggers using direct civil disobedience. These groups are often in conflict about tactics and perhaps even goals in the short-term. But, taking a movement perspective, these approaches are just different methods in support of the same values: protecting forests and trees since our shared environment is a source of nurturance for us all and must be protected. By seeing connections based on shared values, these two groups could better coordinate their efforts to raise awareness about their work.
Why, then, do progressives remain divided? Because by and large progressives are not consistently emphasizing their values. This is in stark contrast to the radical Right, who have for decades been organizing, fundraising, and campaigning based on an overarching moral vision. It is time for progressives to realize how much we all share, and to begin building organizations and policies that reflect what unites us rather than what divides us.
