20 hours ago
- There are two types of political moderates: intentional (trimming to a position midway between extremes) and accidental (independently forming opinions that average to the middle).
- Intentional moderates acquire opinions in bulk, like ideologues, and shift with the median opinion to remain moderate.
- Accidental moderates choose their own questions and opinions, often ignoring topics deemed important by left and right, leading to a scattered distribution.
- Accidental moderates require courage as they face attacks from both sides and lack the comfort of orthodox group membership.
- The most impressive people in intellectual work tend to be accidental moderates, as independent-mindedness is crucial for quality in ideas.