What Is Radical Centrism?
Radical centrism, also referred to as the radical center or the radical middle, is a concept that emerged in Western nations in the late 20th century. Part of the Centrist family.
Definition
Radical centrism, also referred to as the radical center or the radical middle, is a concept that emerged in Western nations in the late 20th century.
Definition quoted from Wikipedia: Radical centrism (text available under CC BY-SA 4.0; checked October 20, 2026).
Core ideas
- Combining left and right ideas.
- Pragmatic, evidence-based reform.
- Rejection of partisan polarization.
Origins
Late 20th century.
Core ideas, origins and thinkers: Atlas summary.
Where Radical Centrism sits on the Atlas maps
| Map dimension | Score (0–100) | Position | Reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| Economic Collective / planned ↔ Market | 52 | near the center | |
| Social Progressive ↔ Traditional | 34 | toward progressive | |
| Authority Libertarian ↔ Authoritarian | 31 | toward libertarian | |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 40 | near the center | |
| Foreign policy Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 46 | near the center |
All nine underlying dimensions
| Dimension | Score | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| Economic ownership Collective ownership ↔ Private ownership | 55 | near the center |
| Civil liberties Civil liberty ↔ State restrictions | 42 | near the center |
| National identity Cosmopolitan ↔ Nationalist | 40 | near the center |
| Social and cultural values Progressive ↔ Traditionalist | 35 | near the center |
| Political governance Democratic ↔ Autocratic | 21 | toward democratic |
| Equality and hierarchy Egalitarian ↔ Hierarchical | 41 | near the center |
| Economic management Free market ↔ State planning | 53 | near the center |
| Military intervention Non-intervention ↔ Intervention | 46 | near the center |
| Religion and government Secular state ↔ Religious authority | 33 | toward secular state |
These positions are estimates on the Atlas’s nine-dimension scale, produced by running the tradition’s core principles through the same questions and scoring used for test-takers. They are interpretations for comparison, not objective measurements. How scores are made.
Estimated positions on key questions
| Statement | Position | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Opposition parties should be free to compete in elections. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| A national religious authority should have the power to veto legislation. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| People should be free to criticize the government without fear of legal punishment. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Preserving a historic national majority is a legitimate immigration objective. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The means of production should ultimately be owned collectively. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Central economic planning is preferable to decentralized market decisions. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Same-sex couples should have the same right to marry as opposite-sex couples. | Strongly agrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Society works best when established social hierarchies are respected. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| Non-intervention should be the default even when allies request military assistance. | Disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
| The head of government should have more power to act quickly, even if it weakens checks from lawmakers. | Strongly disagrees | estimated from doctrine |
Related ideologies
Main differences from the closest ideologies
- Compared with Third Way, Radical Centrism sits 11 points further toward non-intervention on the foreign policy dimension.
- Compared with Moderate Liberalism, Radical Centrism sits 10 points further toward collective / planned on the economic dimension.
- Compared with Centrism, Radical Centrism sits 14 points further toward progressive on the social dimension.
Figures with the closest estimated positions
Closeness of estimated positions only; this does not mean these people identify with Radical Centrism.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Radical centrism
- Wikipedia: Radical Centrism (Wikipedia search)
- Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Liberalism
Position last reviewed: not yet reviewed individually.