Why Not Moderation?: Letters to Young Radicals

Moderation is often presented as a simple virtue for lukewarm and indecisive minds, searching for a fuzzy center between the extremes. Not surprisingly, many politicians do not want to be labelled 'moderates' for fear of losing elections. Why Not Moderation? challenges this conventional image and shows that moderation is a complex virtue with a rich tradition and unexplored radical sides. Through a series of imaginary letters between a passionate moderate and two young radicals, the book outlines the distinctive political vision undergirding moderation and makes a case for why we need this virtue today in America. Drawing on clearly written and compelling sources, Craiutu offers an opportunity to rethink moderation and participate in the important public debate on what kind of society we want to live in. His book reminds us that we cannot afford to bargain away the liberal civilization and open society we have inherited from our forefathers.

Aurelian Craiutu is Professor of Political Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. His publications include Liberalism under Siege (2003), A Virtue for Courageous Minds (2012), and Faces of Moderation (2017). Professor Craiutu has also written book reviews and essays for non-academic publications such as Los Angeles Review of Books, Aeon, and the Daily Beast.