NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Radical middle

The term radical middle is a type of third way philosophy as well as an associated political movement. Followers of this philosophy claim to improve understanding by simultaneously affirming both sides of apparently contradictory issues, whether that be disagreement amongst Left-Right politics or other disagreement or dilemmas. In politics, followers of this philosophy often call themselves the Radical Center or Radical Centrists, terms sometimes associated with politicians such as Tony Blair in the U.K. and John McCain in the U.S. Image File history File links Stop_hand. ... The Third Way is a centrist philosophy of governance that, at least from a traditional social democratic perspective, usually stands for deregulation, decentralisation and lower taxes. ... These five broad types of question are called analytical or logical, epistemological, ethical, metaphysical, and aesthetic respectively. ... Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ... Left-Right politics are traditional terms that represent a broad dialectical interpretation of diverse and competing political viewpoints. ... Look up Dilemma in Wiktionary, the free dictionary A dilemma is a problem offering two solutions, neither of which is acceptable. ... The Right Honourable Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. ... John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is an American politician. ...

1 Radical middle philosophy
2 Radical middle politics
3 History of the terms
4 Positioning
5 Radical centrist organizations
6 See also
- 6.1 External links

Radical middle philosophy

Various groups have adopted "radical middle" as a term to describe a third way philosophy which includes their belief that, in affirming the core principles involved on both sides of a dilemma, the dilemma or disagreement can be rendered moot. These groups argue that this reflects an emphasis on epistemic virtue, by resolving false dilemmas -- i.e., finding the excluded middle. Critics argue that this can easily result in the logical fallacy of false compromise. The Third Way is a centrist philosophy of governance that, at least from a traditional social democratic perspective, usually stands for deregulation, decentralisation and lower taxes. ... <moot> I wish to be the little girl. ... The epistemic virtues, as identified by virtue epistemologists, reflect their contention that belief is an ethical process, and thus susceptible to the intellectual virtue or vice of ones thought life. ... The logical fallacy of false dilemma, which is also known as fallacy of the excluded middle, false dichotomy, either/or dilemma or bifurcation, involves a situation in which two alternative points of view are held to be the only options, when in reality there exist one or more alternate options... In dialectic, the term logical fallacy properly refers to a formal fallacy: a flaw in the structure of a deductive argument which renders the argument invalid. ... A false compromise (also known as the gray fallacy) is a logical fallacy: X and Y are opposite alternatives. ...

The terms Radical Center and Radical Middle are often used interchangeably, although the former more often refers to a political movement or current and the latter to a political philosophy.

Radical middle politics

The political application of radical middle philosophy is represented by a cluster of loosely related terms and movements: radical middle, radical centrist, responsive communitarian, third-way, etc. As a relatively grass-roots movement, especially in the United States, there is no definitive statement of radical middle politics. A primary recurring theme, however, might be the idea of "sustainably improving choices." This is reflected in the goals of various radical middle groups, which they describe using language such as: Communitarianism as a philosophy began in the late 20th century, opposing aspects of liberalism and capitalism while advocating phenomena such as civil society. ... Grassroots democracy is the political processes which are driven by groups of ordinary citizens, as opposed to larger organisations or wealthy individuals with concentrated vested interests in particular policies. ...

Maximize citizen choice, individual empowerment, and overall human potential
Facilitate greater involvement in the political process (e.g., through referendums)
Being of concrete help to those in the developing world
Emphasize epistemic virtue, so that politics are grounded in objective reality
Build character by promoting conscious moral choices
Expand community by people creating value for each other in reciprocal relationships
Possess a foundation of traditional values and Common sense
Enlibra, which presents itself as the productive middle approach to environmentalism

A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... For the Jamaican reggae band, see Third World (band). ... The epistemic virtues, as identified by virtue epistemologists, reflect their contention that belief is an ethical process, and thus susceptible to the intellectual virtue or vice of ones thought life. ... The objective reality is reality which does not depend on our existence and the way of performing observations. ... A moral is a one sentence remark made at the end of many childrens stories that expresses the intended meaning, or the moral message, of the tale. ... ... Value is a term that expresses the concept of worth in general, and it is thought to be connected to reasons for certain practices, policies, or actions. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about the moral concept. ... Look up Common sense in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For the American independence advocacy pamphlet by Thomas Paine, see Common Sense (pamphlet) For the American hip-hop artist, see Common One meaning of the term common sense (or as an adjective, commonsense) on a strict construction of the term, is... Enlibra is a new term (from the Latin word for balance) created by the Western Governors Association to describe their approach to environmental stewardship. ... Environmentalism is the support or involvement with the environmental movement by environmentalists. ...

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 and tepidness of temperance. An early use appears to be from Gordon Fee's kingdom theology course at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in the 1970s, which helped inspire the Vineyard Movement. He used the term radical middle to contrast the evangelical focus on the future kingdom of God with the Pentecostal emphasis on the present kingdom of God. Extremism is a term used to describe either ideas or actions thought by critics to be hyperbolic and unwarranted. ... Moderation is the process of eliminating or lessening extremes. ... Gordon Fee is a New Testament scholar who, after teaching briefly at Wheaton College in Illinois, has for many years taught at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Massachusetts until 1986. ... Theology is reasoned discourse concerning God (Greek Î¸ÎµÎ¿Ï‚, theos, God, + Î»Î¿Î³Î¿Ï‚, logos, word or reason). It can also refer to the study of other religious topics. ... Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) is an interdenominational evangelical theological seminary located in South Hamilton, Massachusetts. ... The Vineyard Movement is a combination renewal and church planting movement which can also be considered a Christian denomination. ... The word evangelicalism usually refers to a tendency in diverse branches of Protestantism, typified by an emphasis on evangelism, a personal experience of conversion, biblically-oriented faith, and a belief in the relevance of Christian faith to cultural issues. ... The Pentecostal movement within Protestant Christianity places special emphasis on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. ...

In 1955, Geoffrey Crowther, then editor of the UK publication The Economist, declared, "It is to the Radicals that The Economist still likes to think of itself as belonging. The extreme centre is the paper's historical position."[1] But the first known use of the term "radical middle" was by Jules Feiffer in a comic strip that appears in Hold Me!, a collection published by Random House in 1962. The Economist is a weekly news and international affairs publication of The Economist Newspaper Limited in London. ... Jules Feiffer (born January 26, 1929) is a syndicated comic-strip cartoonist and author. ... Random House is a publishing division of the German media conglomerate Bertelsmann, which acquired it in 1998. ...

While the term radical center has been used in various ways since at least the 1970s, it first had a major influence in the 1990s due to the Reform Party and Ross Perot, who were frequently described as representing the radical middle due to their attempts to partisanize those portions of the American electorate. Despite a strong showing in the 1996 U.S. Presidential Election, the Reform Party is nowadays not generally perceived as a major player in national politics, though they have impacted state elections -- notably with their Jesse Ventura becoming governor of Minnesota. The Reform Party may be: Estonia - Eesti Reformierakond Gibraltar - Gibraltar Reform Party United States Reform Party of the United States of America, formerly led by Ross Perot. ... Henry Ross Perot (born June 27, 1930), is a billionaire American businessman from Texas best known as a candidate for President of the United States (in 1992 and 1996). ... Look up Partisan in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Partisan may refer to: An adherent to a political party or political faction; especially, having the character of blind, passionate, or unreasonable adherence to a party; as, blinded by partisan zeal. ... Presidential electoral votes by state. ... Jesse Ventura (born July 15, 1951, as James George Janos, which is still his legal name) was elected the 38th Governor of Minnesota on November 3, 1998, after a career as Navy SEAL, professional wrestler, actor, mayor, and radio talk show host. ...

Today, the term radical middle is most commonly associated with a movement that does not explicitly claim descent from the Reform Party or its ideas, but rather draws its inspiration from the book The Third Way by Anthony Giddens (1998) and Giddens's highly-regarded follow-up book The Third Way and Its Critics (2000). In the U.S. third way politics is most actively represented by the 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'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's founding document from the 1980s, "Ten Key Values.") The definitive history of "Centrism" in America, and probably the best-selling radical centrist book to date, is John Avlon's Independent Nation (2004, pbk. 2005). The Right Honourable Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens (b. ... The Third Way is a centrist philosophy of governance that, at least from a traditional social democratic perspective, usually stands for deregulation, decentralisation and lower taxes. ... The New America Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit public policy institute and think tank located in Washington, DC which is attempting to promote innovative political solutions that transcend conventional party lines - what they call Radical centrist politics. ... Ted Halstead is the founder and president of the New America Foundation and the co-author, with Michael Lind, of The Radical Center: The Future of American Politics. ... Michael Lind is an American journalist and historian, currently the Whitehead Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation. ... Matthew Miller is a senior fellow at the Institution for Gang Related Violence, a monthly columnist for Playboy (magazine) and the author of Pimpin and Gimpin He previously served 12 years in Pelican bay state prison for 6 gang related murders. ... Mark Satin fielding a question at the Fall for the Book Literary Festival, Fairfax, VA, USA, September 21, 2004 â€“ photo by Richard Mallory Allnutt Mark Satin (born November 16, 1946) is a U.S. lawyer and editor of the online political periodical Radical Middle Newsletter. ... In American politics, the Green Party is a third party which has been active in some areas since the 1980s, but first gained widespread public attention for Ralph Naders presidential runs in 1996 and 2000. ... In United States politics, the Green Party has been active as a third party since the 1980s. ... John P. Avlon is the author of Independent Nation: How the Vital Center is Changing American Politics. ...

Positioning

Radical centrists are related to what is sometimes called the Vital Center in American politics, and similarly claim to be drawing on the best of both sides. However, they differ significantly from traditional centrism, which prides itself on moderation and seeking political consensus amongst the parties; radical centrists, for example, are quite radical and populist in their stated policies. Radical centrists also can 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 and Right often distance themselves from their respective 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." In politics in the United States, the Vital Center is a term used to describe where the Presidential nominees of the two major political parties go to look for votes, traditionally after they have wrapped up their own partys nomination at the party convention. ... In politics, centrism usually refers to the political ideal of promoting moderate policies which land in the middle ground between different political extremes. ... In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who holds an intermediate position between two extreme or radical viewpoints. ... Consensus has two common meanings. ... A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... Radical is derived from the Latin word radix, which means root. In various fields of endeavor, it can mean: Sciences in chemistry, either an atom or molecule with at least one unpaired electron, or a group of atoms, charged or uncharged, that act as a single entity in reaction. ... Populism is a political ideology or rhetorical style that holds that the common person is oppressed by the elite in society, which exists only to serve its own interests, and therefore, the instruments of the State need to be grasped from this self-serving elite and instead used for the... Partisan may refer to: A member of a lightly-equipped irregular military force formed to oppose control of an area by a foreign power or by an army of occupation. ... The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view. ... In politics, right-wing, the political right, or simply The Right, are terms that refer to the segment of the political spectrum typically associated with any of several strains of conservatism, classical liberalism, the religious right, authoritarian nationalism; or often simply the opposite of left-wing politics. ...

Radical centrists can be found in both left-wing and right-wing political parties, but (like other centrists and 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. Electoral reform projects seek to change the way that public desires are reflected in elections through electoral systems. ...

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/economic Liberalism) and (social Liberalism/economic 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') provide the basis for their critique of society, government and other political movements. Conservatism is any of a number of political philosophies supporting traditional values or an established social order. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... This article discusses liberalism as a major political ideology as it developed and stands currently. ... Conservatism is any of a number of political philosophies supporting traditional values or an established social order. ... Radical is derived from the Latin word radix, which means root. In various fields of endeavor, it can mean: Sciences in chemistry, either an atom or molecule with at least one unpaired electron, or a group of atoms, charged or uncharged, that act as a single entity in reaction. ... Politics is the process and method of decision-making for groups of human beings. ...

It has been suggested by a minority of Political Sociologists and Historians like Seymour Martin Lipset and Nicholas Farrell that Fascism could be considered a doctrine of the Extreme or Radical center. It is even argued by Farrell that many entities and movements emphasising radical centrism and the Third Way, like the People's Action Party of Singapore and the New Deal or Great Society Democrats, advocate social and economic platforms that strongly resemble those of the early Italian Fascists, and may legitimately be considered as examples of liberal Fascism. Fascism is based on the economic principle of Corporativism which advocates a large Governmental role in regulating investment into the economy and stimulating Keynsian demand. The economic basis of Fascism would therefore place it in the economic center of a political compass (ranging from Completely planned economy on the Left to completely Free economy on the Right), but on the 'extreme' or 'radical' North, where the North and South axes range from collectivisation or authoritarianism on the North 'wing' to libertarianism or individualism on the South 'wing'. Seymour Martin Lipset is a political sociologist and a senior fellow at the conservative Hoover Institution. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Third Way is a centrist philosophy of governance that, at least from a traditional social democratic perspective, usually stands for deregulation, decentralisation and lower taxes. ... Party logo with a symbol of red lightning that signifies action. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: New Deal The New Deal is the name given to the series of programs used by Franklin Delano Roosevelt with the goal of stabilizing, reforming and stimulating the United States economy in the Great Depression. ... The Great Society was a set of domestic programs enacted in the United States on the initiative of President Lyndon B. Johnson. ... The term corporatism has different meanings in different contexts. ... Keynesian economics, or Keynesianism, is an economic theory based on the ideas of John Maynard Keynes, as put forward in his book The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, published in 1936 in response to the Great Depression of the 1930s. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with political spectrum. ... A planned economy is an economic system in which decisions about the production, allocation and consumption of goods and services is planned ahead of time, in either a centralized or decentralized fashion. ... Collective farming is an organizational unit in agriculture in which peasants are not paid wages, but rather receive a share of the farms net output. ... This article applies to political ideologies. ... Libertarianism is a political philosophy that favors individual rights, private property rights, and free markets. ... Individualism is a moral, political, and social philosophy, which emphasizes individual liberty, belief in the primary importance of the individual, and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence. Individualism embraces opposition to authority, and to all manner of controls over the individual, especially when exercised by the political...

Radical centrist organizations

Centrerion, a centrist group blog discussing Canadian federal politics

Centrist Coalition, an active online group with a blog and forum

Centrists.org, public policy think tank

Independent Nation, home base for John Avlon, author of the book Independent Nation: How the Vital Center Is Changing American Politics (2004)

New America Foundation, think tank founded by Ted Halstead and Michael Lind, authors of the book The Radical Center (2001)

Politics of Trust Network, founded by John Vasconcellos

Progressive Policy Institute, think tank for centrists and radical centrists affiliated with the U.S. Democratic Party

Radical Center American Party, not quite a political party, for now it is just a website with some political thoughts and some links to other Radical Center sites and thought. It even has its own Wiki for you to contribute to American Radical Center thought and political-party evolution

Radical Middle Newsletter, online periodical edited by Mark Satin

RadicalCentrism.org, founded by Ernest Prabhakar

Reform Party USA, founded by Ross Perot, was said to have appealed to the radical center, because it found that both the Democrats and Republicans were unable to address real issues because of both left-right partisanship and corruption. The platform compromised on traditional issues of the parties, ignores social issues, pushes an agenda of government reform, and calls for some referendums. Some people feel this centrist position had been compromised since Pat Buchanan entered the party for his 2000 presidential bid, and a harder stance on immigration has been added

Search for Common Ground, works to help parties achieve "societal conflict transformation" in hotspots all over the world

The Independence Party of Minnesota, the Radical Centrist third party in Minnesota.

The New America Foundation is a non-partisan, non-profit public policy institute and think tank located in Washington, DC which is attempting to promote innovative political solutions that transcend conventional party lines - what they call Radical centrist politics. ... John Vasconcellos is a California politician. ... The Democratic Party, founded in 1792, is one of the two longest-standing political parties in the world. ... Mark Satin fielding a question at the Fall for the Book Literary Festival, Fairfax, VA, USA, September 21, 2004 â€“ photo by Richard Mallory Allnutt Mark Satin (born November 16, 1946) is a U.S. lawyer and editor of the online political periodical Radical Middle Newsletter. ... The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 under the belief that Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital... Henry Ross Perot (born June 27, 1930), is a billionaire American businessman from Texas best known as a candidate for President of the United States (in 1992 and 1996). ... Pat Buchanan Pat Buchanan (born November 2, 1938), is an American author, syndicated columnist, and television commentator. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Contents

Radical middle philosophy

Radical middle politics

History of the terms

Positioning

Radical centrist organizations

See also

External links

General/philosophical uses

Political organizations

Howard Dean links

Contents

Radical middle philosophy GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Radical middle politics

History of the terms

Positioning

Radical centrist organizations

See also

External links

General/philosophical uses

Political organizations

Howard Dean links

Radical middle philosophy