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Justice<\/strong>, seen here balancing the scales of competing claims, turning \u201cneither left nor right<\/strong>\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thursday, April 2, 2015\u00a0 \u2013\u00a0 Lady Justice, seen above, personifies the \u201cMiddle Way\u201d or Via Media<\/em>:<\/p>\n Via media<\/b><\/i> is a Latin<\/a> phrase meaning \u201cthe middle road\u2026\u201d \u00a0 Aristotle<\/a> [urged] his students to follow the middle road between extremes [and] the via media<\/i><\/strong> was the dominant philosophical precept<\/a> by which Ancient Roman<\/a> civilisation and society was organised.\u00a0 The term via media<\/i><\/strong> is frequently applied to the Anglican<\/a> churches [and\/or] the Church of England<\/a>.\u00a0 The idea of a middle way, between the papalist Catholics and the radical Reformers, goes back to early in the Protestant Reformation<\/a>\u2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n See Via media \u2013 Wikipedia<\/a>.\u00a0 I bring all this up because moderates<\/em> and moderation<\/em> seem to be going out of style.\u00a0 See We All Need Moderate Republicans<\/a>, lamenting moderate Republicans becoming “scapegoats at which party extremists directed their primal screams.”\u00a0 (On that note too, see On scapegoating<\/a>, re: “an individual, group, or country singled out for unmerited negative treatment or blame<\/a>. \u00a0<\/sup> A whipping boy<\/a>, ‘fall guy’<\/a> or ‘patsy’ is a form of scapegoat\u2026”)<\/p>\n The term “Blue Dog Democrat” is credited to Texas<\/a> Democratic Rep. Pete Geren<\/a> [who] opined that the members had been “choked blue” by extreme Democrats from the Left.\u00a0 It is related to the political term “Yellow Dog Democrat<\/a>,” a reference to southern<\/a> Democrats said to be so loyal they would even vote for a yellow dog if it were labeled Democrat… \u00a0 An additional explanation for the term … is “when dogs are not let into the house, they stay outside in the cold and turn blue,” a reference to the Blue Dogs’ belief they had been left out of a party that they believed had shifted to the political left.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n See also Blue Dog Coalition – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<\/a>, which noted that the term “strictly applied” refers only to the “House” coalition, and also that membership there “experienced a rapid decline in the 2010s,” to “14 seats in the 114th Congress<\/a>.”<\/p>\n So whether we lament the passing of moderate Republicans or conservative Democrats, the point is: the Political Middle Has Disappeared<\/a>.\u00a0 (Not to mention the disappearing “middle class.”\u00a0 See Infuriating Facts About Our Disappearing Middle-Class Wealth<\/a>…)<\/p>\n The result is Political Polarization<\/a>, and as the Pew Research Center<\/a> noted:<\/p>\n In each party, the share with a highly negative view of the opposing party has more than doubled since 1994.\u00a0 Most of these intense partisans believe the opposing party\u2019s policies \u201care so misguided that they threaten the nation\u2019s well-being.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n See also Political Polarization Is Here to Stay – NBC News<\/a>.\u00a0 But see also Don’t Forget That Politics is Cyclical<\/a>, which noted that “elections are both seasonal and cyclical in nature:\u201d<\/p>\n If Democrats had a great year and picked up a large number of Republican seats, you know that Democrats are likely to be overexposed and to suffer losses in the coming election cycle. If Republicans had a banner year in the previous election, they are more likely to lose than to gain seats.\u00a0 It\u2019s all pretty straightforward.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Which may be the best political news “we’ve” heard in a long time…<\/p>\n Maltz first compared the human mind to a “goal-striving guidance system,” as in a guided missile aimed \u201cat an enemy ship or plane.\u201d\u00a0 He then said a goal-striving mechanism \u2013 like our political system – needs a corrective<\/em>, so if the missile moves too far to the right, it compensates by moving to the left.\u00a0 But if it over<\/em>compensates – moves too far to the left – the device moves the missile back to the right.\u00a0 As Maltz put it, \u201cThe torpedo accomplishes its goal by going forward, making errors, and continually correcting them.\u00a0 By a series of zigzags, it literally \u2018gropes\u2019 its way to the goal.\u201d\u00a0 (See also On sin and cybernetics<\/a>.)<\/p>\n In other words, our political system too seems specifically designed to keep moving back to the middle<\/em>, even though it’s clumsy at times.\u00a0 (Maltz said such human “corrections” can best be seen in a baby learning to walk or pick up toys, or – later on – a teenager learning to drive.)<\/p>\n Note also that the Middle Way – by which we “hit the target” – doesn\u2019t necessarily mean \u201csplitting the difference\u201d in every case or dispute.\u00a0 If that were so, you could just as easily be a true<\/em> liberal or a true<\/em> conservative.\u00a0 (They’re the ones with the \u201cone size fits all\u201d set of answers to all life\u2019s questions.\u00a0 And<\/em> aside from not having to think, they get a\u00a0 lot less flak.\u00a0 They only get it from one side.\u00a0 “Middle Wayers” get abuse from both<\/em><\/strong> extremes…)<\/p>\n So to me, the Middle Way<\/em> means having an open mind and being willing to listen to both sides of a dispute.\u00a0 Note also that for our definitional purposes, being a true liberal or a true conservative means having a closed<\/em><\/strong> mind.\u00a0 If you have an open mind, you\u2019re not really a conservative or liberal.\u00a0 You\u2019re either a left-leaning moderate or a right-leaning moderate\u2026<\/p>\n And just as an aside, Wikipedia said the Anglican\/Episcopal Church has a reputation for this Middle Way, starting with Richard Hooker<\/a>\u2018s Law of Ecclesiastical Polity<\/a><\/i>, “the classic depiction of the English via media<\/i> based upon the sound triumvirate of scripture, reason and tradition.”<\/p>\n Note too the Middle way<\/a> in Buddhism.\u00a0 And there’s a Middle Way in Islam, based on Wasat<\/a><\/em>, the \u201cArabic<\/a> word for middle<\/i>, centered<\/i>, balanced<\/i>.\u00a0\u00a0 In the Islamic<\/a> context, it refers to the \u2018middle way,\u2019 a justly balanced way of life, avoiding extremes and experiencing things in moderation.\u201d<\/p>\n See for example Miles Derek<\/a>, who rated it “four stars,” and said as a whole the book “succeeds in being of both sociological and philosophical value.” (See <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>The Middle Way (“Goodreads”)<\/a>.\u00a0 Then there’s the review by Robert Ellis of the\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>Middle Way Society<\/a>, who said in part:<\/p>\n This book at least tries<\/strong> to start a discussion on a topic of vital importance \u2013 the universal Middle Way…\u00a0 [However, e]very time\u00a0an influential writer\u00a0mistakes the Middle Way for a truth about the universe,\u00a0the genuinely useful Middle Way \u2013 the Middle Way of experience \u2013\u00a0becomes a little harder to find, because the concept becomes a little more appropriated by metaphysics and its subtle practical form is obscured a little more.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Note also that according to that site, the “Middle Way<\/a> Society is an international group, first founded in the UK, for the study, promotion and practice of the Middle Way.\u00a0 For more information about the meaning of the term \u2018Middle Way\u2019 as we understand it, please see the Middle Way page<\/a>.”\u00a0 In turn, the Middle Way<\/a> – as defined there – says “progress can be made in addressing conditions<\/a> by avoiding\u00a0both positive or negative forms of\u00a0metaphysics<\/a>.”<\/p>\n (Which might be an example of “taking the Middle Way to extremes<\/em>.”)<\/p>\n Be that as it may<\/a><\/em>, I’ll be reviewing the book myself in future posts.\u00a0 For now it’s enough to say that – by definition<\/em> – “balancing the scales” seems to mean dealing with a whole<\/em> lot of negative feedback.\u00a0 (As Maltz pointed out, with positive feedback you just “stay on course.”)\u00a0\u00a0 So who knows, maybe “political polarization” is the new normal<\/a>.\u00a0 On the other hand:<\/p>\n <\/span><\/span>\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can\u2019t hit the target without \u201cnegative feedback\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The upper image is courtesy of Wikimedia, File: J\u00fcrgen Ovens \u2013 Justice (or Prudence, Justice, and Peace<\/a>, a 1662 painting by J\u00fcrgen Ovens<\/a>, a \u201cportrait painter<\/a> from North Frisia<\/a> and, according to Arnold Houbraken<\/a>, a pupil of Rembrandt<\/a>.\u00a0 He is best known for his painting in the city hall of Amsterdam<\/a> and paintings for the Dukes of Holstein-Gottorp<\/a> for whom he worked for more than 30 years, also as an art dealer.\u201d\u00a0 See Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n Re:\u00a0<\/em> balancing the scales and turning \u201cneither left nor right<\/strong>\u2026\u201d\u00a0 See for example Proverbs 4:27 \u201cDo not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil<\/a>,\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Deuteronomy 28:14 \u201cDo not turn aside to the right or the left from all the things I am commanding you today, and do not go after other gods to worship them<\/a><\/em>,\u201d and<\/em> Joshua 23:6\u00a0 \u201cDo all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left<\/span><\/a>.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 All which led to the following blog, 20 Reasons Why the Christian Right & the Christian Left Won\u2019t Adopt Me<\/a>.\u00a0 (But we digress!!) The lower image<\/em> is courtesy of http:\/\/www.releasetheape.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/arrow-target1-890\u00d7556.png., and was also used in Sin and cybernetics<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n![\"Blue](\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/9\/9a\/BlueDoglogo.jpg\/200px-BlueDoglogo.jpg\")
See also Where have the Blue Dogs gone<\/a>?\u00a0 That post referred to the coalition formed in 1995 in the House of Representatives to “give more conservative members from the Democratic party a unified voice:”<\/p>\n![\"PsychoCyb-book-cover.gif.jpg\"](\"http:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/d\/d2\/PsychoCyb-book-cover.gif.jpg\")
That brings up a guy named Maxwell Maltz<\/a>, who published a book back in 1969.\u00a0 (That was when many of us Baby-boomers were coming of age<\/a>.)\u00a0 That book was Psycho-Cybernetics<\/a><\/em> (seen at right), and it offers a metaphoric glimpse at how our political system is supposed<\/em> to work.<\/p>\n![\"work-in-progress\"](\"http:\/\/iamerinbrown.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/work-in-progress-300x262.png\")
So if that’s how our political system is supposed<\/em> to work, we might as well get used to the idea of “groping,” zigzagging first to the right and then to the left, but eventually – the theory goes – “hitting the target.”\u00a0 (But on that note, see also the definition for work in progress<\/a><\/em>.)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/d.gr-assets.com\/books\/1328859150l\/236769.jpg\")
But we’re getting close to the word limit for the average blog reader.\u00a0 (1,600 words, according to Bloggers: This Is How Long Your Posts Should Be – ViperChill<\/a>.)\u00a0 So let me wrap this up by introducing a book published in 2007, The Middle Way: Finding Happiness in a World of Extremes<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0 by Lou Marinoff<\/a>.\u00a0 I’ll be reviewing that book myself in future posts, but for now suffice it to say that it’s gotten both good and bad reviews.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n
Maybe moderation is the true conservatism…<\/em><\/h3>\n
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