Primitivism

One-line definition: The orientation that an earlier, simpler, less-developed state of life (or self) is the ideal — the counterweight to Progressivism.

How sources describe it

• Surfaces in the Great Softening research as one pole of a recurring tension: cultures “so often have held up primitivists,” and Kyle asks whether the thought leaders who stand the test of time (Lindy) are primitivists or progressivists.
• Kyle frames himself against it: “I’m a progressivist (technological, spiritual, ideological).”
• Tied to the Garden of Eden question — was Eden about progression or primitivism?

Where it shows up

• The Hardening Of The Great Softening - Research — primitivism vs. progressivism as a frame for ambition and the “great softening.”

Related concepts

• Progressivism — the opposing pole; primitivism is framed throughout as its counterweight, and Kyle positions himself as a progressivist.
• Stoicism — a kindred orientation toward simplicity and restraint, contrasted against the progressivist drive.
• Garden of Eden — the test case for whether Eden was about progression or primitivism.
• Lindy Principle — invoked in asking whether the thought leaders who stand the test of time are primitivists or progressivists.
• The Hardening Of The Great Softening - Research — where primitivism vs. progressivism is developed as a frame for ambition and the “great softening.”