- Question
- Can incrementalism work?
This position holds that incrementalism does not work. It argues that real change requires a big surge of progress rather than small steps — that settling for minor gains actually stops people from demanding bigger ones — and that incremental approaches are an unfit response to a genuine crisis.
Supporting arguments · 3
- Achieving small changes stops people from demanding big changes.Accepting limited changes halts the momentum of a movement which leads to accepting half-measures and no longer demanding progress.
- Incrementalism doesn’t work in times of crisis.In extraordinary times (such as a pandemic) small changes do not suffice.
- Change requires a big surge of progress, not incrementalismBoth the momentum of a movement and innovation are lost if the agreement that both sides come to is too cautious and measured. Radical policy shifts must occur before society settles back into a new equilibrium.