Some definitions will have multiple meanings (Conservative vs Progressive). There will also be very short biographies of  individuals who have had an historical influence on the Progressive movement. I welcome your suggestions for new additions.  This is a work in progress and will be added to continually.

A PROGRESSIVE DICTIONARY
And What Their Words Actually Mean

Human Rights – A right that is believed to belong justifiably to every person.

• Defining the divisive ideologically and political meaning of Human Rights, which differs by ideology, offers the following consensus on what should and shouldn’t be provided as a right, using two opposing political and ideological political theories of Socialism  as opposed to Capitalism.
• Opponents of the indivisibility of human rights argue that economic, social, and cultural rights are fundamentally different from civil and political rights and require complete different approaches.

Governments can define and therefore determine what the term Human Rights means in their country, as per the following example: The former Prime Ministers of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew, and of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohamad both claimed in the 1990s that Asian values were significantly different from western values and included a sense of loyalty and foregoing personal freedoms for the sake of social stability and prosperity, and therefore authoritarian government is more appropriate in Asia than democracy. This brings in the term Cultural Relativism.

Progressivism: (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) favoring or promoting political or social reform through government action, or even revolution, to improve the lot of the majority.

Progressive Party: Founded in 1912 by Theodore Roosevelt. American Presidents that promoted and supported the Progressive Party were: Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, and Lyndon Baines Johnson. Roosevelt’s philosophy for the Progressive Party was based around New Nationalism.

The New Nationalism was Theodore Roosevelt’s Progressive political philosophy during the 1912 election. The central issue Roosevelt argued was human welfare versus property rights. He insisted that only a powerful federal government could regulate the economy and guarantee social justice.

Social Justice – A Conservative Definition – Essential components includes close friendships, families, churches that offer comprehensive care and responsibility, and hard work that generates dignity and economic opportunity. These relationships and opportunities need secure social conditions to flourish, thus the responsibility of government.  The government’s role, therefore, is to ensure that these relationships can thrive by sustaining an environment of safety, order, freedom, and peace, which includes upholding justice through laws and responding to threats to social harmony.

Social Justice – A Progressive Definition – The political left has adopted some tenets of Social Justice. The concepts involve a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through progressive taxation, income redistribution, and even property redistribution. (The most complete rejection of the concept of social justice comes from Friedrich Hayek of the Austrian School of economics).

For a definitive education on Social Justice, I recommend watching the 5-part video series “Rethinking Social Justice: Getting to the Root of the Problem.” on www.seekjustice.com