Progressive education has to do with educating for effective and responsible participation of individuals who can think effectively for themselves growing in their capacities to make well informed and well reasoned decisions concerning personal affairs and the affairs of society in the forum that is the democratic process. Knowing how to think about all of the two plus twos that come up in living life is more important than knowing that two plus two is four because with the former one is able to figure out reasonably well any kind of two plus two issue that might arise and, too, have a good sense of when looking for four as an answer will provide the information needed to work through the meaningful problems of life such as for whom to vote and whether or not to obey or disobey authority.