Aaron Swartz, a very well known web-developer and smart guy, has posted an intriguing note on the downfalls of being a “centrist.” I’m not sure what prompted him to write the essay, but it’s worth reading as a list of cautions for those of us who are claiming the title of “moderates.”

“‘Centrism’ is the tendency to see two different beliefs and attempt to split the difference between them. The reason why it’s a bad idea should be obvious: truth is independent of our beliefs, no less than any other partisans, centrists ignore evidence in favor of their predetermined ideology.

So what’s the attraction? First, it requires little thought: arguing for a specific position requires collecting evidence and arguing for it. Centrism, simply requires repeating some of what A is saying and some of what B is saying and mixing them together. Centrists often don’t even seem to care if the bits they take contradict each other.”

Read the rest here: The Attraction of the Center

(Via Aaron Swartz.)