To be progressive is to believe in the possibility of a better, fairer, and more compassionate world. It is to believe that we can create a society in which people, working cooperatively, can thrive and make the most of our lives. Progressivism is also about the thriving of the organic and non-organic world around us. Whether we are referring to green politics, feminism, or socialism, the focus is on making things better for us all: on sharing out what we have, and working together, so that wellbeing and fulfilment are not just in the hands of a privileged few. A progressive vision – the capacity to see beyond ourselves, towards cooperative and caring forms of social organisation – is, perhaps, one of humankind's greatest achievements. It gives us hope that we can create a better world: one in which oppression, suffering, and emotional pain are at a minimum and life is fullest and greatest for all.

The challenge for progressives

Yet, as progressives know all too well, such a worldview does not always succeed. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, for instance, has shown, horrifically, how progressive and democratic forces can be assaulted by totalitarianism. Authoritarian ‘populism’ has become pervasive – the Brothers of Italy, Marine Le Pen in France, Trump and Bolsonaro in the Americas – with its hostility to progress, fairness, and justice for all.1 In the UK, we have the depressing familiarity of rule by a right-wing elite. Across the globe, progressive voices seem to be struggling to garner popular support, and to be in a position where they can take forward an agenda of equality, social justice, and environmental protection. Neoliberalism rules across the global North and, like the Comeback Kid, seems to stay in favour however much it fails and is seen to fail.

The challenges to progressivism, however, do not just lie outside of our field. Inside it too, fragmentations and bitter divisions can be rife. Read the manifestos of the progressive parties, like the Greens and Labour, for instance, and you will find as much contempt towards each other as you will towards the right. Or take the arguments between trans rights activists and gender-critical feminists, which, on social media platform such as Twitter, can descend into name-calling, abuse, and even threats of violence. ‘Terfs aren't feminists’, states one post, ‘terfs are misogynistic’.