Progressivism is the doctrine according to which certain economic and social measures - driven mainly by science and technology - are essential for the improvement of the human condition. It is also related to the breakdown of traditional social standards, which in turn would promote values such as freedom and equality.
Progressivism has a strong connection with the Enlightenment.
Historians call the intellectual and political movement of the 18th century enlightenment, which argued that progress must be based mainly on human reason, and not on religious faith. At that time, Christian doctrine was still hegemonic in Europe and throughout the West. For this reason, Enlightenment ideas meant a philosophical revolution, the effects of which are still felt today. Still in the 18th century and over the following centuries, there were profound structural changes based on Enlightenment thinking, such as:
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the end of absolutist regimes and the rise of modern democracies;
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<u>liberalization of markets and an end to commercialism;
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<u>centrality of reason and science, to the detriment of religious thought, and the secularity of the State.</u>
