Our mission is to promote essays and viewpoints driven by a progressive agenda and good writing.

We are not a value-neutral venue. We have an explicit aim to to inspire progressive thinking by stimulating debate around current issues.

What is our progressive philosophy?

From John Locke to Amartya Sen to Edward Said, many ideas and philosophers are associated with different aspects of progressive thought. We take a fairly broad view, summarized by four principles:

• The core value we uphold is individual freedom. We believe in the idea that freedom is inherently good and any restrictions on it should be by consent.
• The exercise of power is frequently at odds with protecting and promoting individual freedom. A constant scrutiny of the establishment is essential, as is the role of critique.
• Because of the existence of structures of power, freedom is never absolute or perfect; there is always room for improvement.
• And so we seek change, and take a skeptical view of conserving the existing social/political order.

From this perspective, progress is an unending struggle toward increasing freedom in society.

The crucial role of critique

The role of a deliberate media outlet such as ours is similar the role of the public intellectual.

We are uniquely placed to advance freedom by using critical knowledge. This often requires analysis of society and politics with an aim toward what Alan Lightman has called "actively disturbing the status quo."

Progress slows without regular critique of the establishment.