The Possibility of the confluence of Conservatism and Progressivism --- On Woodrow Wilson’s acceptance of Burke’s teachings

Nowadays, the uncontrolled political polarization seems to be a quite salient global phenomenon, the endless battle between progressivism and conservatism begs a key question: are they really mutually exclusive and henceforth, utterly impossible for any reconciliation? This article revisits Woodrow Wilson’s systematic reading and digest of the writings of Edmund Burke, and shows that in reality, the elements of the classic Burkean conservatism had already been built up and properly preserved within the exact intellectual origins of the modern progressivism. Woodrow Wilson’s admiration for Burke did not stop him from joining into the progressive movement, and his famous progressivism also did not indicate he ever harbor any attempt to abandon the influence of Burkean theories. We defnitely can learn a lot from Wilson’s readings and understandings of Burke.