Intro: Dualism as the Philosophical Foundation of the Radical Center

A lack of dualism is largely to blame for the problems of 20^th Century ideologies including, Fascism, Communism, the New Left, and post-war conservativism. Reagan conservatism and wokeness are especially bad as far as having an all or nothing binary. While there is some value in libertarianism, it is insane to be a full-blown big “L” Libertarian. The same with Classical Liberalism, which has a lot of good but functions as a mental and ideological handicap.

Of the 20^th Century ideologies, Social Democrats did embrace some degree of dualism as a counterbalance to Fascism and Communism. Social Democrats took small doses of Communism, and Fascism to a lesser degree, almost like antibodies to those ideologies. Not to mention Margaret Sanger, and others of the early 20^th Century Progressive movement, who were eugenicists but also concerned for poverty and humanitarianism. Even the cliché from 90s moderate Democrats that abortion should be safe legal and rare, though a cheap political slogan, was good in that it paid homage to dualism. The abortion debate has become polarized with both sides taking extreme positions.  

Every president since at least Ronald Reagan spoke in absolutes, with George Bush especially the worst in terms of the good vs evil binary. The same applies to Joe Biden. Trump is sometimes guilty of this but at least he has a dose of foreign policy realism where it's like this foreign leader is our enemy but Trump sort of gets where they’re coming from rather than just treating them as evil. Not to mention what Trump said about Charlottesville, that there were “fine people on both sides,” a reasonable statement that got him a lot of flak. Politicians like RFK Jr. and Andrew Yang also come closer to dualism. The dualist yet unrealistic ideal would be a Donald Trump/ Marianne Williamson ticket, as the two contradictory archetypes are needed.

All reductionist ideologies from class reductionism to race reductionism of both woke and White Nationalists, gender reductionism, and moral reductionism, as well as radical individualists and color blindness advocates who reject identity politics, come short. Since all of these issues intersect, I advocate for a non-liberal intersectionalism or intersectional identitarianism, a holistic approach to identity politics.  

Victimhood hierarchies are neither inherently bad but can be harmful if taken to an extreme. Two competing sides can both have legitimate grievances. The Reaganite won’t admit that a communist might have some legit grievances, just like a liberal won’t admit White nationalists might, or a rightwinger towards intersectional groups, who might as well. One can be an unapologetic sexual degenerate while also getting the practical cases for enforcing monogamy.

Contemporary liberalism turns people into drones, denies them an authentic identity, and destroys all deeper meaning. While there needs to be room for individualism, Liberal individualism lacks dualism, perverts individualism into anomie, and serves institutions and consumerism rather than allowing one to embrace one’s authentic self. However, atomization ironically has the potential to free people from over socialization to develop their own identity from scratch. Syncretism can barrow from consumerism and modern subcultures but must transcend to create something more authentic, dynamic, and Avant Garde in the true sense.

Source: @nostalgiafkninc on X3

The liberal vs conservative binary does not allow for political syncretism, which is why a radical center is needed. I can appreciate ideologies and identities that seem oxymoronic, even if I don’t identify with them. For instance, Crunchy Cons, MAGA Communism, syncretic ethno-tribalism like Pilleater’s Asian Aryanism, Rightwing New Agers, Hippie, Hipster, or Bohemian Fascists, or quasi-fascists like Bronze Age Pervert flirting with crypto homoerotic imagery, which is very provocative and subversive. Not to mention, finding right-wing themes in unlikely places, like Alan Watts's speeches or David Lynch's Films.

Alt Centrism, Radical Centrism, or Esoteric Centrism is the leftwing of the Alt-Right. It is progressive policy solutions but with a rightwing understanding of human nature and philosophical outlook. This new centrist ideology may end up incorporating aspects of wokeness, rationalism, anarchism, New Thought, and White Nationalism.

An example of Radical Centrism is rightwing socialism which is about investing in the advancement of civilization while taking care of people’s basic needs rather than subsidizing bureaucracy and dysgenics. Rightwing urbanism or rightwing YIMBY is an urban policy that embraces denser urban living and walkable cities, yet is pro-White, and without the leftwing baggage of YIMBYs. For instance, left-YIMBYs integrationist obsession and utilitarianism about aesthetics. Rightwing multiculturalism is multiculturalism that is friendly to White identity and freedom of association, and resists the mass homogenization of liberalism.   

What Radical Center dualism is not, is irony culture of being contradictory just for the sake of it, nor the author's Schizo ramblings. Two contradictory things can have nuanced truths to them and being creative and high in the trait of openness allows one to contrast and consider both sides of every issue. Radical Centrism takes extreme positions from both the Left and Right, but then must decide upon some core principles, differentiations, and hierarchies. It is against one size fits all policy solutions and for specialization tailored to the specific needs of individuals and demographics. Thus it is pluralist but not egalitarian. It addresses the handicaps of classical liberalism and even the appeal of fascism and communism, without going down those dark paths.

To be continued