In the constrained vision, the businessman's moral duty is fidelity to the stockholders, who have entrusted their savings to him, not sincere pursuit of the public good through charitable donations or investment or hiring decisions which compromise that trust. Similarly, the judge's moral duty is to faithfully carry out the law he was sworn to uphold, not sincerely change that law to produce better results as he sees them. Within this vision, a scholar's moral duty is to faithfully promote the intellectual process among his students and readers, not lead them to specific conclusions he sincerely believes to be best for society. For similar reasons, advocacy journalism or liberation theology are also anathema to those with the constrained vision, since both are seen as misuses of entrusted roles.
(Thomas Sowell, A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles [New York: Basic Books, 2002], 57)
Note from KBJ: Sowell's "constrained vision" is conservatism. Progressives have a vision for society that is incompatible with intermediate social institutions such as the family, the church, and the community. Their aim is to destroy all loyalties other than loyalty to the collectivity, which includes all of humanity. Roles are independent sources of fidelity, loyalty, and responsibility. These, too, must be destroyed. The businessman (or woman) must pursue the good directly rather than cater to the whims of stockholders; judges must ignore rules and procedures that impede legal change, which is essential to social change; scholars are to indoctrinate rather than educate; journalists are to join the fray rather than stand above it; theologians must interpret sacred texts so that they do not stand in the way of social change; &c. Everything is to be politicized, in the sense of being used as a mere means to progressive ends. If you've ever wondered why progressives are antagonistic to the traditional family, to private education, and to traditional religion, now you know. These are the main obstacles to revolutionary change, which is what progressives seek. The end, in their view, justifies the means.
