Prof. Dr. Ewa Atanassow reviews Aurelian Craiutu’s Why Not Moderation? Letters to Young Radicals

Professor of Politics Dr. Ewa Atanassow recently published a review of Aurelian Craiutu’s Why Not Moderation? Letters to Young Radicals (Cambridge University Press, 2024) as part of Tocqueville 21’s Roundtable series.

Why Not Moderation? consists of “a series of letters addressed to young people passionate about politics and taken by the promise of radical change,” Atanassow notes. Framed as a letter to the author, her review reconsiders the meaning of moderation, and what makes it so elusive. 

Probing the book’s core arguments and epistolary format, Atanassow points to seeking dialogue across differences as integral to the spirit of moderation. She highlights the importance of the college classroom as a space where diverging moral and political views can be brought into a conversation. “By guiding young people to recognize each other’s worries as legitimate and learn to appreciate difficult conversations, we can vitally contribute to shaping their civic skills and attitudes,” Atanassow states. “Not simply radicalism’s other, the ethos of moderation is radical and audacious in its own way,” she concludes. And she praises Craiutu’ book for striving to teach by example.

Read the full review from Tocqueville 21.

Post Date: 11-11-2024