the.com/radicalism
The belief that the problem is the roots, not the leaves, so dig there.
means The political stance that real change means fixing root causes and existing structures, not just trimming the symptoms at the surface.
from Traces to Latin 'radix,' meaning root — the same root (so to speak) that gives us 'radish' and 'eradicate.' The political sense took hold as reformers started calling for change 'at the root' of institutions rather than mere surface patches, and by extension 'radical' came to mean anyone wanting to dig up the whole plant instead of pruning leaves.
- etymology
- from latin radix, meaning root
- common myth
- radical does not mean violent, just thorough
- irony
- today's radical idea is often tomorrow's law
- self-defeat risk
- purity tests can shrink movements to zero