Are conservatives backward-thinking?

It’s pretty obvious that “conservative” sounds like the opposite of “progressive” and to me, conservative conjures backward ideas and ideology. 

Literally, conservative means “averse to change or innovation and holding traditional values”, which is not quite my cup of tea. I think that humanity is destined to progressing, moving forward and improving whatever can be ameliorated. 

I’m not saying that progress is always perfect, but it has largely contributed to the betterment of the human condition and this is why I can’t espouse conservative values, and especially political ones. 

In fact in order to hide the essential dysfunction of their philosophy, modern conservatives – at least in America, where I live – have to resort to “crutches” like lies and hypocrisy to make them palatable to their followers. 

Their views are old, stinky and go counter-current to modernity and this is why I both despise them and avoid them.