Causes of Polarization: The Appeal of Extremes and their Triumph in Politics

Political parties in many Western countries are increasingly defined by extremes. For instance, the more aggressive progressive wing of the Democratic party and the anti-establishment faction of the Republican party in the United States define the agenda in their respective parties. They pull moderates towards them.

This takes place because the noisier and more demanding extremes outshout the calmer, more moderate voices—drama, to some degree, pays off. Also, civilizational decline, which we wrote about previously, breeds laziness, mental sloth, and political expediency—all of which seek the overly-simplistic ideas and efforts that extreme positions tend to embrace.

More partisan voices also often present their policies as a moral stance, embarrassing moderates who would otherwise be readier to compromise and bridge divides.

Finally, with the media environment, described in another post, being their sphere of debate, polarization is further heightened. As indicated, social and established legacy media are increasingly defined by silos and echo chambers shutting out more reasonable voices, or dissent.

Many moderates are either unwilling to expend the energy required to make their case in such an environment, and/or suffer the buffeting of the hardliners—whether inside their own party or between ideologies. Extremists on the other hand tend to be more vested in their positions and are ready to commit more time and energy towards their goals. This effectively drives out the more flexible-minded.

Again, a culture that is past its peak can indulge in such inwardly oriented verbal battles rather than looking outwards towards challenges that may be crucial to its survival and prosperity.

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Read our next post in the series: What Can We Do to Reduce Political Polarization?