Big Ideas Acclaimed author Christos Tsiolkas on fence-sitting in a time of fracture
Dec 3, 2025
Christos Tsiolkas explores the concept of fence-sitting in a polarized world, advocating for doubt as a valuable writing strategy. He reflects on personal experiences, like childhood memories of climbing fences, that shaped his storytelling. Tsiolkas discusses the importance of intellectual pauses against partisan pressures and critiques the tendency to compare suffering. He emphasizes the value of diverse perspectives, the necessity of moderation, and the writer's duty to cultivate doubt, fostering a culture of thoughtful dialogue.
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Doubt As Ethical Practice
- Christos Tsiolkas argues doubt and pause are ethical and practical acts in a polarized world.
- He frames fence-sitting as thoughtful attention that resists declarative partisanship.
Friend's Rage Interrupted The Lecture
- A long-time friend sent Christos a furious text accusing him of cowardice for 'fence-sitting'.
- The attack made him rip up his draft and rethink how to answer charges without surrendering to rage.
History Undermines Certainty
- Travel in Eastern Europe confronted Christos with the human cost of authoritarian revolutions and his prior certainties.
- That history pushed him to read across ideological fences and accept past errors.
