Progress Cannot Be Defined as Belonging Solely to a Specific Political Spectrum

Okay, so to oversimplify your argument, the basic idea is that progress can be defined as what is beneficial, better than what was used in the past. A little too oversimplified. Two essential components to the political definition of progress are that the means of advancement are technological or scientific and that the result of advancement is widespread human benefit (by one definition "the public", by another "the world").A radical Islamist may believe a world dominated by Shariah Law is a good thing. To the extent that we are discussing the use of the word in US politics, shariah law has little influence. Shariah refers to the religious law of Islam. A muslim need not qualify as radical to respect shariah, since shariah applies to any observant Muslim. Shariah is overwhelmingly concerned with the minutiae of personal religious conduct and by definition does not apply in the context of national law. Conversely, the First Amendment of the US Constitution forbids Congress from preferring one religion's moral code above another's. Therefore, shariah has as little impact on US politics as the Jewish Halakhah (both bodies of law, in fact, essentially translate as "the way to go" and are more alike than different). Nevertheless, interpretations of shariah are as various and personal as any other religious belief. There are certainly American muslims who understand and apply a progressive political perspective to shariah."At the heart of a progressive Muslim interpretation is a simple yet radical idea: every human individual, female or male, Muslim or non-Muslim, rich or poor, northerner or southerner, has exactly the same intrinsic worth." [1]Shariah does not inherently exclude progressive politics, however much conservative mullahs might disagree.A Ku Klux Klan guy, though nothing he does would be progress by your standard, would consider almost everything he did beneficial.But not to the benefit of humanity or even all Americans. The Klan would reserve most advantages for anglo-saxons protestants of good moral standing (i.e. member of the Klan). Each iteration of the Klan was a traditionalist, nativist reaction to social and technological change. In fact, the "Birth of the Nation" Klan of the 1920's is viewed by historians as an explicit rejection of Roosevelt and "The Progressive Era." Progressivism, as the word is used in American politics, stands in nearly diametrical opposition to Ku Kluxism. You may consider Conservative policies not to be progress, but a Conservative would, and a Conservative would consider liberal policies not to be progress, while a Liberal would. The conservative/liberal spectrum is not quite the same thing as the Right-Wing/Left-Wing spectrum. Let's check in with Merriam-Webster:con·ser·va·tism noun: belief in the value of established and traditional practices in politics and society [2] lib·er·al·ism noun : a political philosophy based on belief in progress, the essential goodness of the human race, and the autonomy of the individual and standing for the protection of political and civil libertiesBelief in progress is a defining characteristic of liberalism. Opposition to change is a defining characteristic of conservatism. In politics, the word progress belongs to liberalism by definition. Who is to say that Social Equality is morally superior to Social Inequality?Me. I will say that.Who is to say that freedom is morally superior to slavery?Me. I will say that. You may believe a woman's right to abort is progress, but others on the other political spectrum may disagree. On this point, I think a Progressive argument may be made on either side. Abortion when expressed as the civil right of women to be free of the shackles of mandatory baby-making is a Progressive argument. Progressive arguments can also be made in favor of the civil rights of the unborn integrated with improved maternal healthcare, a civil right not to be fired for getting pregnant, equal pay for women, cheap availability of prophylactics, etc.Is there's no absolute moral standard (and no, I'm not trying to change the nature of the debate; this is my argument), there is no way of telling who's right when it comes to ethics. I don't ascribe to that philosophy, but be that as it may, moral philosophies have names and definitions. We don't have to agree with a philosophy in order to study it. Pro's argument is that the word "progress" does not particularly belong to Left-Wing or Liberal ideology. My argument is that there is a correct, objective definition of the word "progress" that is so intimately associated with Liberal ideology that it would be difficult to speak of American Liberalism without the word. The word progress has a specific political and philosophical meaning that is used to invoke Liberal, Left-wing, Progressive ideology. You stated in your argument that the Right Wing opposes progress, but is that really true, or do they simply oppose the Left Wing's definition of progress? That's really true. It is not the Left-Wing's definition of progress, it is the objective definition of progress as inherently Left-Wing. Left-Wing means "all men were created equal." That's the objective, historic definition of the word. Right-Wing means "all men were not created equal." That's the definition of the word, irregardless of political perspective. The Oxford English Dictionary notes: "The verb became obsolete in British English use at the end of the 17th century and was readopted from American English in the early 19th century." [4] In American usage, "The intellectual leaders of the American Revolution—such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, were immersed in Enlightenment thought and believed the Idea of Progress meant that they could reorganize the political system to the benefit of the human condition—for Americans and also, as Jefferson put it, for an "Empire of Liberty" that would benefit all mankind. Thus was born the idea of inevitable American future progress. What gave the American Revolution its widespread appeal and linked it to all subsequent political revolutions was its association with the Idea of Progress." [5]The word progress came into usage in America as the political expression of Voltaire's enlightenment: science and reason could provide social equality for all humanity. The word progress means leaving monarchs and social hierarchies behind and so progress is by definition Left-Wing. The word progress means the autonomy of individuals and so progress is by definition Liberal.RE: Gay MarriageSame deal. Since support for gay marriage expands the political franchise, reflects new sociological and biological perspectives on homosexuality, and advances civil rights that support is by definition progressive. Arguments against gay marriage invoke traditional hierarchies, shrink the political franchise, and reflect older understandings of homosexuality so those arguments are not progressive.RE: NazisSame deal. Since Facism by definiton collapsed the political franchise, renounced civil rights for whole sectors of society, embraced authoritarianism and sought to restore the political hegemony of the Holy Roman Empire (Reich), Nazism could not be called Progressive. Although American Progressives might be linked to Nazi Germany in so far as both embraced the pseudo-science of eugenics, Progressives were firmly alligned against Hitler after German intervention in the Spanish Civil War doomed the Spanish Republic. Facism, generally considered an extreme Right-Wing movement, found little else to admire in American Progressivism. [6] [1] http://daayieesplaceofinnerpeace.com...[2] http://www.merriam-webster.com...[3] http://www.merriam-webster.com...[4] http://www.oxforddictionaries.com...[5] http://en.wikipedia.org...[6] http://en.wikipedia.org...