Rediscovering Moderation at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century

This article argues that moderation is a difficult, complex, and elusive concept that challenges our political imagination. It has several faces-epistemological, moral, constitutional, political and religious-and forms a rich intellectual tradition that has yet to be explored in all its complexity. Moderation is "the silken string that runs through the pearl-chain of all virtues" (Joseph Hall). As such, it ought to be examined not only as a virtue but also as a social practice, an intellectual sensibility, a way of life, a particular ethos, and a set of concrete institutions. Finally, moderation is best understood in relation with its synonyms (prudence, civility, compromise) and antonyms (extremism, fanaticism, zealotry).