Why is the “progressive” mindset the way that it is, and why is it so dangerous?

John C Wright, in his book Transhuman and Subhuman: Essays on Science Fiction and Awful Truth, writes:

It goes without saying that if utopia were possible, anything done to achieve utopia would be permissible; and likewise any opposition to utopia would be an evil so monstrous as to be beyond explanation. That is why the cultists are not just appalled by opposition to their featherbrained and bloodthirsty schemes, their desire to loot and lie and give the guillotine work to do, they are honestly baffled by it.

The same reason that utopia, by being so valuable permits any sacrifice needed to build it, and makes all opposition into devils and madmen, so too does an emergency permit large sacrifices allegedly for the duration and silences all opposition as being impermissible given the limited time and the severity of the emergency.

This is why the cultists are always shouting at the top of their lungs.

This is why the best health care system in history, with little or nothing wrong with it, which, perhaps, to be made even better, could have used a few minor tweaks, is described as a crisis demanding immediate action.

A crisis is like a miniature utopia, in that the severity allows foolish actions, like passing a law without reading it first. And any objection to solving the crisis can be denounced as being prompted by an evil desire to prolong or deepen the crisis, a wrongheadedness and willful blindness to the looming severity of the coming disaster.

The end of the world is always immanent for the Cult. The stakes are always all or nothing, world salvation or world damnation. Nothing can be discussed calmly. Nothing can be discussed calmly for the same reason there is no loyal opposition nor honorable rivals: everything opposed to the cult must be described as absolutely bad and evil in all ways.

The absolute focus on achieving utopia in the present world blinds the utopian progressive to the rationality of the wisdom of their means in achieving it. If perfection is just out of grasp, then many people would feel justified in doing what it takes to reach that perfection. Not everyone of course, because there are many people who are not guided by a utopian vision, but by principle and morals grounded in the recognition of the fallen nature of man. But the utopian cultist sees such people as the problem anyway. It is that such people will not agree with them that utopia is possible that makes the progressive so angry at them, “Why can’t you just see it you Luddite?!” is the hysterical cry.

Why can’t we see it? Because the vision is impossible and unrealistic and is creating so much damage in the short term that the only rational conclusion is that if we continue to follow this course things will get worse. That is why we cannot see it. Because it’s not really utopian at all. 

What is fascinating is this drive in the progressive for utopia, also explains the hysteria of 2020-2022. The crisis of 2020 allowed the worst tendencies in progressives to swing into full action, giving them great license, because a majority of society was behind them for once. They managed to convince most of society of the level of danger and of the utopian ability of their policies to protect people from any and all dangers, and so society empowered them to run free to their heart’s desires. The minstrels promised utopia and the crowds fell under their sway, as surely as if they were children listening to the Pied Piper.  

Because of this licence granted by a permissive society, they got to give into their inner desires in a way rarely seen in Western society (which is why radical abortion and other policies happened as well). They got to play into their long-cherished goals of micro-managing society at a minute level, they got to be the voice that guided people’s actions down to who they could visit and when. They got to be the all-consuming power and guidance stone in the lives of most of society, and they did not have to give an account of it to really anyone. It’s the perfect situation for the elitist who thinks their vision of society will solve all ills. Therefore, the more progressive the leader the more totalitarian the policies. 

Most of society believed them to such a degree, that the vast majority of people willingly turned on those questioning the vast abuses of power committed as the true problem because we who questioned were getting in the way of a utopian world without the virus. How selfish then were we? Of course, this is not rational thinking, but it didn’t need to be, it just needed to give people in fear what they wanted to hear to not be afraid anymore. 

Crises don’t change people as much as they reveal who they really are, and the recent crisis revealed a deep sickness in much of the Aussie people, and sadly, also in the Church and its leadership. A sickness that made Aussies and people across the world susceptible to the most ludicrous of claims, simply because they bought into the lie which was the basis of those claims. A utopian mindset has overcome the West, probably because we have had it so good for so long, we believe the only logical next step of progress is the Promise Land. But it is not, it really isn’t and we should stop listening to people who think they can actually achieve this.