Uploaded January 2021 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
The Middle Way is a practice that involves working with the political values we start with, then examining and perhaps modifying them. The Middle Way itself does not imply a specific political ideology, so it is possible for two people to each be sincerely trying to practise the Middle Way and yet still greatly disagree about politics. How we handle that disagreement and learn from those we disagree with, however, is a very important part of practice.
The talk and discussion here asks how we can apply the Middle Way to avoid absolutizing political beliefs either positively or negatively, and thus give ourselves the best chance of developing political attitudes that help to address conditions, learning from experience without interference from ideological dogma. In thinking about this, the psychological research into political values made by Jonathan Haidt can be very useful in helping us identify our root values. If we can work with these root values but avoid absolutizing them as the whole story, recognizing other kinds of values as also based in human needs and experience, we can help set up the conditions for making our political values more provisional.
This meeting of the Middle Way Network was recorded on Zoom on 17th Jan 2021, and includes a talk by Robert M Ellis followed by Q&A and then a plenary discussion. For more information about the Middle Way Network please go to middlewaysociety.org/events/middle-way-network/.
The Middle Way is a practice that involves working with the political values we start with, then examining and perhaps modifying them. The Middle Way itself does not imply a specific political ideology, so it is possible for two people to each be sincerely trying to practise the Middle Way and yet still greatly disagree about politics. How we handle that disagreement and learn from those we disagree with, however, is a very important part of practice.
The talk and discussion here asks how we can apply the Middle Way to avoid absolutizing political beliefs either positively or negatively, and thus give ourselves the best chance of developing political attitudes that help to address conditions, learning from experience without interference from ideological dogma. In thinking about this, the psychological research into political values made by Jonathan Haidt can be very useful in helping us identify our root values. If we can work with these root values but avoid absolutizing them as the whole story, recognizing other kinds of values as also based in human needs and experience, we can help set up the conditions for making our political values more provisional.
This meeting of the Middle Way Network was recorded on Zoom on 17th Jan 2021, and includes a talk by Robert M Ellis followed by Q&A and then a plenary discussion. For more information about the Middle Way Network please go to middlewaysociety.org/events/middle-way-network/.
