Editing Radical centrism (section)

== Influences and precursors ==
Some influences on radical centrist political philosophy are not directly political. [[Robert C. Solomon]], a philosopher with radical-centrist interests,<ref>Solomon, Robert C. (2003). ''A Better Way to Think About Business: How Personal Integrity Leads to Corporate Success''. Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|978-0-19-538315-7}}.</ref> identifies a number of philosophical concepts supporting balance, reconciliation or synthesis, including [[Confucius]]' concept of ''[[Ren (Confucianism)|ren]]'', [[Aristotle]]'s concept of the [[Golden mean (philosophy)|mean]], [[Desiderius Erasmus]]'s and [[Michel de Montaigne]]'s humanism, [[Giambattista Vico]]'s evolutionary vision of history, [[William James]]' and [[John Dewey]]'s [[pragmatism]],{{#tag:ref|For an extended discussion of neoclassical American pragmatism and its possible political implications, see [[Louis Menand]]'s book ''[[The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America|The Metaphysical Club]]''.<ref>Menand, Louis (2001). ''The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America''. Farrar, Straus & Giroux, Part Five. {{ISBN|978-0-374-19963-0}}.</ref>|group="nb"}} and [[Sri Aurobindo|Aurobindo Ghose]]'s integration of opposites.<ref>{{cite book|first1=Robert C.|last1=Solomon|first2=Kathleen M.|last2=Higgins|date=1996|title=A Short History of Philosophy|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=Oxfordshire, England|pages=93, 66, 161, 179, 222, 240, and 298|isbn=978-0-19-510-196-6}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|An international evangelical movement, the [[Association of Vineyard Churches]], describes itself as "radical middle" because it believes that spiritual truth is found by holding supposedly contradictory concepts in tension. Examples include head vs. heart, planning vs. being Spirit-led, and standing for truth vs. standing for Unity.<ref>Jackson, Bill (1999). ''The Quest for the Radical Middle: A History of the Vineyard''. Vineyard International Publishing, pp. 18–21. {{ISBN|978-0-620-24319-3}}.</ref>|group="nb"}}

[[File:Jane Jacobs.jpg|thumb|Urban theorist and activist [[Jane Jacobs]] (1916–2006), who has been described as "proto-radical middle"<ref>Satin (2004), p. 30.</ref>]]
However, most commonly cited influences and precursors are from the political realm. For example, British radical-centrist politician [[Nick Clegg]] considers himself an heir to political theorist [[John Stuart Mill]], former Liberal Prime Minister [[David Lloyd George]], economist [[John Maynard Keynes]], social reformer [[William Beveridge]] and former Liberal Party leader [[Jo Grimond]].<ref name=Stratton>Stratton, Allegra; Wintour, Patrick (13 March 2011). "[https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/mar/13/nick-clegg-lib-dems-centre Nick Clegg Tells Lib Dems They Belong in 'Radical Centre' of British Politics]". ''The Guardian'' (London). Retrieved 1 February 2013.</ref> The [[Single Tax|single tax]] movement and subsequent [[Georgism|Georgist]] movement begun by 19th century journalist and political theorist [[Henry George]] with his landmark work ''[[Progress and Poverty]]'' has long attracted thinkers and activists from all sides of the political spectrum. In his book ''Independent Nation'' (2004), [[John Avlon]] discusses precursors of 21st-century U.S. political centrism, including President [[Theodore Roosevelt]], Supreme Court Justice [[Earl Warren]], Senator [[Daniel Patrick Moynihan]], Senator [[Margaret Chase Smith]], and Senator [[Edward Brooke]].<ref>Avlon, John (2004), pp. 26, 173, 223, 244, and 257.</ref> Radical centrist writer [[Mark Satin]] points to political influences from outside the electoral arena, including [[Communitarianism|communitarian]] thinker [[Amitai Etzioni]], magazine publisher [[Charles Peters]], management theorist [[Peter Drucker]], city planning theorist [[Jane Jacobs]] and futurists [[Alvin Toffler|Heidi and Alvin Toffler]].<ref>Satin (2004), pp. 10, 23, and 30</ref>{{#tag:ref|In the 1980s, Satin's own Washington, D.C.-based political newsletter, ''New Options'', described itself as "post-liberal".<ref>Rosenberg, Jeff (17 March 1989). "Mark's Ism: New Options's Editor Builds a New Body Politic". ''Washington City Paper'', pp 6–8.</ref> Culture critic Annie Gottlieb says it urged the [[New Left]] and [[New Age]] to "evolve into a 'New Center{{'"}}.<ref>Gottlieb, Annie (1987). ''Do You Believe in Magic?: Bringing the 60s Back Home''. Simon & Schuster, p. 154. {{ISBN|978-0-671-66050-5}}.</ref>|group="nb"}} Satin calls [[Benjamin Franklin]] the radical middle's favorite Founding Father since he was "extraordinarily practical", "extraordinarily creative" and managed to "get the warring factions and wounded egos to transcend their differences".<ref>Satin (2004), p. 22.</ref>