Towards a new progressivism

December 29, 2008 by matthewtaylor
Filed under: Public policy, The RSA 

Society can be imagined as a huge orchestra playing a never-ending symphony. At any moment all the sections are playing but one can be dominant for long periods with the other heard only faintly or in short bursts. Using the categories of cultural theory, I have argued in earlier posts that roughly between rearmament in the 1930s and the oil shocks of the 1970s hierarchical solutions were predominant. This was a time of large corporations, national planning, a relatively structured global politics and a faith in technological expertise.

This period was superseded by the long era of dominant individualism which may finally have come to an end with the credit crunch and subsequent downturn. Individualism fostered a remarkable era of innovation and freedom but was already subject to powerful critiques, especially from egalitarians emphasising growing inequality, high levels of social and individual pathology and, most of all, the dangers of climate change.

This week I want to explore what may now be possible. Who knows what new ways of thinking and behaving will emerge from these new times. For at least the next year things are going to be very tough, we will be open to accept solutions from any quarter, but in the longer term different ways of thinking about human progress and how to secure it will fight it out. Progressives, who I define as enthusiastic believers in the capacity of human beings to collaborate to achieve qualitative advances in individual and social welfare, have an opportunity not only to develop new ways of thinking but to have their ideas heard by people who might previously dismissed or ignored them.

This week, starting later today, I will attempt to lay out key planks of a new progressive platform. These combine enduring progressive values, new insights and innovations not available to previous generations and a view of the urgent demands posed by today’s world. I intend to do this at different levels, starting with the individual and working up to the global. It will all be very rough and ready, but as the New Year dawns it would be great to get a debate going.

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6 Comments on Towards a new progressivism

  1. A local and republican 2009? « Local Democracy on Mon, 29th Dec 2008 6:23 pm

    2. [...] RSA chief and former Downing St insider Matthew Taylor here outlines what he believes to be an opportunity for a new progressivism. “This period was superseded by the long era of dominant individualism which may finally have [...]

  2. Towards my new progressivism - part one | Matthew Taylor's blog on Tue, 30th Dec 2008 10:19 am

    3. [...] my earlier posting I promised to explore some ideas for a new progressivism growing from the rubble of the hegemonic [...]

  3. fearless frank on Fri, 2nd Jan 2009 12:28 am

    4. I recommend you read George Orwell’s Politics and the English language

  4. matthewtaylor on Fri, 2nd Jan 2009 5:19 pm

    5. I’m afraid I agree with you. It’s not much comfort I know, but I am quite aware of the turgid wordiness or some of this week’s blogs!

  5. Hilary Burrage (hilaryb) on Tue, 6th Jan 2009 6:03 pm

    6. Matthew, your definition of a ‘Progressive’ is very interesting and useful: enthusiastic believers in the capacity of human beings to collaborate to achieve qualitative advances in individual and social welfare.

    If that’s what they are, I’d suggest Progressives have to share a currency of some sort, beyond shared enthusiasm and (I presume) hope…. maybe this currency is actually ‘knowledge’ (and ‘knowing’)? And maybe this is becoming an increasingly important currency because it’s changing and developing all the time? (It’s also one of the few currencies which can benefit from ‘inflation’ – the more of it there is, in general, the better!)

    For me, a great many things follow from this idea about currency. Perhaps over the next year or two quite a few of them will become more overtly evident?

    I look forward to the debate!

    All the best
    Hilary

  6. matthewtaylor on Tue, 6th Jan 2009 6:14 pm

    7. Thanks Hilary

    Very interesting. People often say love has this characteristic – the more there is, the more there is

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