Aurelian Craiutu is Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. His most recent book is Why Not Moderation? Letters to Young Radicals, from Cambridge University Press.
Moderation is a contested concept that, with surprisingly few exceptions, is absent from our public debates. Today, the single famous line that people sometimes may remember belongs to Barry Goldwater: “Extremism in the pursuit of liberty is no vice, moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.” Although Goldwater’s skepticism toward moderation did not fare well in the 1964 presidential election, his witty words continue to provoke. They invite us to rethink the nature of moderation and examine who is afraid of this misunderstood virtue and why. In my lecture, I argue that moderation is a complex virtue with many ethical and institutional facets and a distinguished genealogy which is often neglected. I will also address the following questions: What kind of virtue is political moderation and how can we study it? What does it mean to be a moderate voice in politics? What are the limits and benefits of moderation? Finally, we will examine whether moderation might be a winning card in our hyper-polarized political world.
This is a hybrid event. If you're unable to join us, tune into our livestream on YouTube.
Originally published at constudies.nd.edu.