Moderate

In politics and religion, a moderate is an individual who is not extreme, partisan or radical.^[1] In recent years, political moderates has gained traction as a buzzword.

Aristotle favoured conciliatory politics dominated by the centre rather than the extremes of great wealth and poverty or the special interests of oligarchs and tyrants.^[2]

George Lakoff, author of The Political Mind, argues that moderates do not exist, because there is no definitive political ideology of the moderate.^[3] Therefore, he believes it is impossible for a group of people to gather as 'moderates' as each would have different views. This means that for moderate political views to become mainstream, a big tent form of party would be required.

As a ‘moderate’ political position

Voters who describe themselves as centrist often mean that they are moderate in their political views, advocating neither extreme left-wing politics nor right-wing politics. In the US, it is claimed that 70% of the electorate occupy this position.^[4] Voters may identify with moderation for a number of reasons: pragmatic, ideological or otherwise. It has even been suggested that individuals vote for ‘centrist’ parties for purely statistical reasons.^[5]

See also

• Centrism
• Disadvantages for third parties
• Rationalism

References

1. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, http://dictionary.oed.com 
2. ^ Aristotle, Sir Ernest Barker, R. F. Stalley (1998), Politics, Oxford University Press, p. xxv, ISBN 9780192833938, http://books.google.com/?id=QWsJDMvIV7sC&pg=PR26 
3. ^ YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaFM9CvWm-g. 
4. ^ ‘America is 70% Centrist.’ The Centrist Party home page
5. ^ Probabilistic Voting and the Importance of Centrist Ideologies in Democratic elections Enelow and Hinich, The Journal of Politics, 1984 Southern Political Science Association

• Robert McCluer Calhoon (2008), Ideology and social psychology: extremism, moderation, and contradiction, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 9780521734165 

This article about a political term is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.v · Categories: Political terms Political term stubs Wikimedia Foundation. 2010. Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР Synonyms: Temperate, sparing, frugal, Assuage, soothe, allay, mitigate, soften, mollify, appease, quiet, quell, still, pacify, repress, subdue, abate, reduce, lessen, dull, blunt / Mediocre, Temper, qualify, attemper, diminish / Reasonable, judicious, deliberate, cool, mild, calm, steady, Control, regulate, govern, repress / Temperate, mild, gentle / Limited / Reasonable, just Devon Hughes Waite Hoyt Look at other dictionaries: Moderate — Mod er*ate, a. [L. moderatus, p. p. of moderate, moderati, to moderate, regulate, control, fr. modus measure. See {Mode}.] Kept within due bounds; observing reasonable limits; not excessive, extreme, violent, or rigorous; limited; restrained; as …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English moderate# — moderate adj 1 Moderate, temperate are often used interchangeably to denote not excessive in degree, amount, or intensity {a moderate allowance} {temperate heat} When contrasted moderate often connotes absence or avoidance of excess and is… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms moderate — Ⅰ. moderate UK US /ˈmɒdərət/ adjective ► not very small or large but between the two: moderate growth/inflation/increase »Moderate growth last year was enough to raise a profit. moderate gains/losses »Investors saw moderate gains on Wall Street… …   Financial and business terms moderate — [mäd′ər it; ] for v. [, mäd′ərāt΄] adj. [ME moderat < L moderatus, pp. of moderare, to keep within bounds, restrain < modus: see MODE] 1. within reasonable limits; avoiding excesses or extremes; temperate or restrained 2. mild; calm;… …   English World dictionary Moderate — Mod er*ate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Moderated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Moderating}.] 1. To restrain from excess of any kind; to reduce from a state of violence, intensity, or excess; to keep within bounds; to make temperate; to lessen; to allay; to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English moderate — [adj1] calm, temperate abstinent, balanced, bearable, careful, cautious, compromising, conservative, considerate, considered, controlled, cool, deliberate, disciplined, dispassionate, equable, even, gentle, impartial, inconsiderable, inexpensive …   New thesaurus Moderate — Mod er*ate, v. i. 1. To become less violent, severe, rigorous, or intense; as, the wind has moderated. [1913 Webster] 2. To preside as a moderator. [1913 Webster] Dr. Barlow [was] engaged . . . to moderate for him in the divinity disputation. Bp …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English moderate — ► ADJECTIVE 1) average in amount, intensity, or degree. 2) (of a political position) not radical or extreme. ► NOUN ▪ a person with moderate views. ► VERB 1) make or become less extreme or intense. 2) review (examination papers or results) to… …   English terms dictionary Moderate — Mod er*ate, n. (Eccl. Hist.) One of a party in the Church of Scotland in the 18th century, and part of the 19th, professing moderation in matters of church government, in discipline, and in doctrine. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English moderate — I (preside over) verb act as chairman, act as moderator, act as president, administer, be at the head of, be in authority, chair, command, control, direct, discipline, govern, have charge of, head, hold in check, hold sway over, hold the chair,… …   Law dictionary moderate — англ. [мо/дэрит] moderately [мо/дэритли] in moderation [ин модэрэ/йшн] умеренно, сдержанно …   Словарь иностранных музыкальных терминов 18+ © Academic, 2000-2024 Contact us: Technical Support, Advertising Dictionaries export, created on PHP, Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, MODx. Mark and share Search through all dictionaries Translate… Search Internet Share the article and excerpts Direct link … Do a right-click on the link above and select “Copy Link”