Rational Progressivism / Radical Centrism and Positivist Scientific Centrism Mike : Well said. RC = Rational Progressivism I like it, sounds good. Now let's look at the implications. I agree that pessimism added to centrism produces populism. But it this necessarily a bad thing ? The best answer is "it depends." What is the anger directed against ? An appropriate object of anger and populism is a good thing. Anger in defense of racism or any other form of injustice and then it is an evil. We need to remember that original Progressivism grew out of original Populism of the 1890s. And it was a good idea not only on the merits of specific ideas but also because it did much to provide an alternative to class-based Marxist socialism, then on the rise everywhere. Also, it would be unrealistic to think that populism can ever be wished out of existence. It always exists below the surface even if, at times, it is strictly dormant. But the model has existed since the 1890s and is made use of whenever needed. At that, you can think of populism as a secular version of "camp meeting" Protestantism of the 19th century, which, in that era, was a major force for social change. In either case it was / is an effective way to get things done. Big advantage : It provides motivation to promote ideas for solutions to problems. Motivation is very important in politics. The scientist model is one that in calmer times is certainly all for the best. The advantage to this is that it also promotes professionalism as applied to politics, and for sure we need that. Saint-Simon advocated a system that was scientific in the sense you discussed and as everyone here knows I'm a Saint-Simon enthusiast ^2. OTOH, there is much to be said for populism in times of trouble. every so often the choice must be made : Ride the tiger or get eaten by the tiger. In that case, we also need to cultivate tiger-riding skills when they are needed. Billy =================================================== 1/10/2012 [email protected] writes:
I want to home-in on this particular tenet and get to the heart of the point (tempered optimism + our brand of centrism = rational progressivism): When pessimism infects centrism, it becomes angry populism. When apathy blends with centrism, it creates the traditional view of the lazy, valueless independent. What is needed, instead, is a tempered positivity in scientific centrism, channeling the best aspects of an ideology that believes in the application of workable solutions in individual, piecemeal fashion to civil society. Consequently, a rejection of pessimism and apathy in favor of sober belief in a society's ability to improve itself is an essential aspect of centrism. The result of this is a rational progressivism that supports testable change to improve the lot of the entire populace, rather than the traditional American progressivism which moves toward some moralistic utopia. -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
