The Radical middle reference article from the _English Wikipedia_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Main_Page) on
24-Jul-2004
(provided by _Fixed Reference_ (http://fixedreference.org/) : snapshots of
Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)
Radical middle
(http://www.soschildrensvillages.org.uk/sos-childrens-charity/)
The term Radical Middle refers to a type of _third way_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Third_way) _philosophy_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Philosophy) as well as
an associated
_political movement_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Politics) , which defines
itself by simultaneously affirming both sides of
an apparently contradictory issue, whether that be _Left-Right politics_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Left-Right_politics) or
a _false dilemma_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/False_dilemma) . Both the
movement and the philosophy are sometimes called the
Radical Center, and are often associated with politicians such as _Tony
Blair_ (http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Tony_Blair) in
the U.K. and _John McCain_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/John_McCain) in the U.S.
Radical Middle Philosophy
Various groups have recently adopted the radical middle as a term to
describe a form of _third way_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Third_way) thinking that
paradoxically affirms the core principles of
two apparently opposing extremes. Radical middle thought can thus be
considered as emphasizing _epistemic virtue_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Epistemic_virtue) in the
pursuit of truth, as opposed to
blind adherence to _dogma_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Dogma) .
Historical examples of what might be considered radical middle thinking are
the _wave-particle duality_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Wave-particle_duality)
of _physics_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Physics) , the
_Christian_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Christian) doctrine of
_Jesus Christ_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Jesus) as both God and
Man,
and the federalist balance between national and state authority in the
_United States Constitution_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/United_States_Constitution)
. The terms radical center and radical middle
are often used interchangeably, though it is sometimes useful to
distinguish between the specific political movement and the general
philosophical
approach.
Radical Centrism
The political application of that philosophy is generally known as radical
centrism. As a relatively _grass-roots_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Grass-roots) movement,
especially in the United States,
there is no definitive statement of radical centrism. However the following
represent some common issues, and the key issues of certain Radical
Centrist organizations:
* Maximize citizen choice and individual empowerment (such as through
_civil rights_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Civil_rights) and
referendums)
* Maximize everyone's potential
* Be of genuine help to those in the _developing world_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Third_world)
* Be realistic, acknowledging _absolute truth_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Absolute_truth) ,
relative knowledge, and
complex value
* Build _Character_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Character) by promoting
conscious _moral_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Moral) choices
* Expand _Community_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Community) by people
creating _value_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Value) for each other in
reciprocal relationships
* Possess a foundation of _traditional values_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Family_values) and
_Common sense_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Common_sense)
* Rational _Environmentalism_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Environmentalism) ,
called the productive middle, usually
based around the concept of _enlibra_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Enlibra)
History of the terms
The term radical middle appears to have been spontaneously invented by
several different communities around the turn of the millennium, apparently in
response to frustration with the violence of _extremism_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Extremism) and tepidness
of
_temperance_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Moderation_system) .
The earliest modern usage appears to be from Gordon Fee's kingdom
_theology_ (http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Theology)
course
at _Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Gordon-Conwell_Theological_Seminary)
in the 1970's,
which helped inspire the _Vineyard Movement_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Vineyard_Movement) . He
used the term radical middle to
contrast the _evangelical_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Evangelical) focus on
the future kingdom of God with the
_Pentecostal_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Pentecostalism)
emphasis on the present kingdom of God.
While the term radical center has been used in various ways since at least
the 1970s, the modern movement by that name draws its inspiration from the
book The Third Way by _Anthony Giddens_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Anthony_Giddens) (1998)
and Giddens's highly-regarded
follow-up book The Third Way and Its Critics (2000). In the U.S. _third way_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Third_way) politics
is most actively represented by the _New America Foundation_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/New_America_Foundation)
and its book
by Ted Halstead and Michael Lind, The Radical Center (2001). Subsequent
introductions to radical centrist politics include, most notably, Matthew
Miller's book The Two Percent Solution (2003) and _Mark Satin_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Mark_Satin) 's book
Radical Middle:
The Politics We Need Now (2004). (Interestingly, Lind was once a promising
young conservative, Miller was once an aide in President Clinton's White
House, and Satin was a co-author of the _U.S. Green Party_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/United_States_Green_Party)
's founding
document from the 1980s, "_Ten Key Values_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Ten_Key_Values_of_the_US_Green_Party)
.")
Positioning
Radical centrists are related to what is sometimes called the _Vital
Center_ (http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Vital_Center) in
American politics, and similarly claim to be drawing on the best of both
sides. However, they differ significantly from traditional _centrism_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Centrism) , which prides
itself
on _moderation_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Moderate) and seeking
political _consensus_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Consensus) amongst the
_parties_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Political_party) ;
radical centrists, for
example, are often quite radical and _populist_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Populism) in their
stated policies. Radical
centrists also have a tendency to be divisive, as opposed to the non-partisan
approach of traditional centrism. This leads to many moderates questioning
whether radical centrism deserves to be called centrist at all (perhaps
analogous to how the _Left_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Left-wing_politics) and
_Right_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Right-wing_politics)
distance themselves from their respective
self-described radical wings). For their part, radical centrists are quick to
dissociate themselves from traditional moderates, whom they often contrast
as the "sensible center", or deride as the "squishy center."
Radical centrists can be found in both left-wing and right-wing political
parties, but (like other centrists and _independents_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Independents) ) are
usually penalized for
being out of step with that party's dominant ideology. This leads to tension
between what might be called separatist factions, who want to shed an
unhelpful party label in order to run as independents, and puritans who want
to
reform (or take over) the party from within. This tension is particularly
acute in countries with strong two-party traditions, since it is difficult
for third-party candidates to win office or create governable coalitions
absent significant _electoral reform_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Electoral_reform) .
Radical centrists see themselves as building majority consensus for radical
reforms by sidestepping (or confronting) what they consider the obsolete,
polarized and non-productive ideologies of (social _Conservatism_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Conservatism) /economic
_Liberalism_ (http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Liberalism)
)
and (social _Liberalism_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Liberalism) /economic
_Conservatism_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Conservatism) ). Radical
centrists assert that their
principles represent the fusion of the best aspects of Conservatism and
Liberalism, and thus interpolate at the level of philosophy rather than policy.
They
claim these ideological moorings (the 'root' behind their sociological use
of the term '_radical_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Radical) ') provide the
basis for their critique of society, government
and other _political movements_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Politics) .
Radical Centrist Organizations
* _Mark Satin_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Mark_Satin) , editor of
the Radical Middle Newsletter
* The _New America Foundation_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/New_America_Foundation) ,
the premier radical centrist
think tank in the U.S.
* RadicalCentrism.org, founded by
Howard Dean and the Radical Center
In late 2003, several people made the claim that _Howard Dean_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Howard_Dean) , then the
front-runner for the _United_States_Democratic_Party_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/United_States_Democratic_Party)
presidential
nomination, represented the radical center. While this may well have been a
defensible description of his policies as Vermont Governor, his loss of the
nomination to _John Kerry_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/John_Kerry) was commonly
attributed to his being perceived as excessively
_liberal_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/wikipedia/Political_liberalism) ,
rather than any form of centrist, even by Democrats.
External links
Philsophical Uses
* _Media Literary for a New Millennium: Finding the "radical
center"_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.acmecoalition.org_radicalcenter.html_Radical_middle_.html)
* _Quest for the Radical Middle: A History of the Vineyard_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.vineyardusa.org_about
_history_quest.htm_Radical_middle_.html)
* _New Bishop Frank Griswald claims to stand at 'radical center' of
Episcopalian church_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.christianitytoday.com_ct_7ta_7ta072.html_Radical_middle_.html)
* _The Centrist Moment_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__anglicansonline.org_resources_essays_whalon_centrist.html_Radi
cal_middle_.html) in the Anglican Church
* _Yahoo! Radical Middle discussion group_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__groups.yahoo.com_group_radical-middle__Radi
cal_middle_.html) , a spin-off of _PoMoXian_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__groups.yahoo.com_group_pomoxian_Radical_middle
_.html)
* _Toward The Radical Center: A Karel Capek Reader_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.catbirdpress.com_bookpages_rea
der.htm_Radical_middle_.html)
Political Organizations
Organizations concerned with Radical Centrist politics include:
* _Radical Middle Newsletter_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__radicalmiddle.org_The_Radical_middle_.html)
* _The Radical Center: The Future of American Politics_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.newamerica.net_index.cfm_p
g=book_Rev&pubID=1011_Radical_middle_.html)
* _Hans Masing_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__masing2004.com_platform.php_Radical_middle_.html)
, Radical Middle
candidate for U.S. Congress, Michigan
* _Richard D. Kahlenberg's analysis of "The Radical Center"_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.prospect.org_print_V
12_21_kahlenberg-r.html_Radical_middle_.html)
* _Radical Middle: The Politics We Need Now_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.radicalmiddle.com_book.htm_Radical_mi
ddle_.html)
* _The Third Way: The Renewal of Social Democracy_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.lse.ac.uk_Giddens_ThirdWayCriti
csPR.htm_Radical_middle_.html)
* _Ground Rules of Civil Society: A Radical Centrist Manifesto_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__RadicalCentrism.org_m
anifesto.html_Radical_middle_.html)
* _The Thom Hartmann Program_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.thomhartmann.com_radicalmiddle.shtml_Radical_middle_
.html) , a radio commentator calling for a Radical Center
* _EarthOps.org's Radical Centrist Party Political Platform?_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__earthops.org_political_
plank.html_Radical_middle_.html)
* _The Quivira Coalition for harmony between humans and nature at
the Radical Center_ (http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:
__www.quiviracoalition.org_documents_Invitation.asp_Radical_middle_.html)
* _Colorado Voices: The Radical Center_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.denverpost.com_Stories_0,1413,36~156~17804
22,00.html_Radical_middle_.html) where "compassionate, common-sense
solutions" come from.
* _The Radical Center American Party_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.radicalcenter.org__Radical_middle_.html)
Howard Dean Links
* _Michael Cudahy on Dean_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.greaterdemocracy.org_2003_08_01_gd.html_Radical_middle_
.html) as representing the Radical Center
* _David Ellis, self-proclaimed part the radical center_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.salonmag.com_opinion_lett
ers_2003_09_19_clark_right__Radical_middle_.html) responding to Salons'
article on Howard Dean and Wesley Clark.
* _CalPundit blog on Dean_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__www.calpundit.com_archives_001555.html_Radical_middle_.html
) as more radical centrist than liberal.
* _Article quoting Mark Wiener on Dean being an "exemplar of the
radical middle"_
(http://july.fixedreference.org/en/20040724/external/http:__deandefense.org_archives_000877.html_Radical_middle_.html)
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