Kenneth Rogoff’s essay captures a tension at the heart of today’s political and economic conversation: the disappearance of the centre. In an era where moderation is mistaken for indecision and nuance is treated as weakness, Rogoff’s defence of centrism reads almost like an act of dissent. His reflection on how economic thought is pulled apart by ideological forces reveals not only the loneliness of the centrist economist but the broader crisis of our public discourse.
What makes this piece compelling is its quiet insistence on balance in a world addicted to outrage. It reminds us that intellectual honesty rarely aligns neatly with partisanship, and that serious debate demands the courage to occupy uncomfortable ground. At a time when social media rewards extremity and politics feeds on division, Rogoff’s warning is not only about economics – it is about the survival of reason itself.
