The White Moderate

White moderates have been a hidden obstacle to black-white equality in the United States for over two centuries. This book offers the first philosophical critique of their role in impeding racial progress and perpetuating black-white inequality.

Taking his cue from Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” the author defines white moderates as those who embrace the need for progress while opposing immediate action due to fears of social disorder. By acting on these commitments, they have contributed to the persistence of both moral and material inequality. The goal of this book is to diagnose and critique the white moderates’ philosophical position. It argues that white moderates have crafted unreasonable compromises in response to legitimate calls for reform. In doing so, they support social closure: practices of hoarding and exploitation that sustain black-white inequality. The book proceeds to examine the reasons why white people embrace moderation and then show how their arguments for incrementalism are mistaken on historical and moral grounds. Furthermore, the book contends that social and psychological factors make moderation seem more reasonable than it truly is. Ultimately, the book argues that efforts to make progress toward black-white equality must confront the white moderate in rational discussion.

The White Moderate will appeal to researchers and students working in ethics, social and political philosophy, philosophy of race, critical race theory, and African American politics.