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> If "left" and "right" have any meaning at all, "right" describes a worldview under which civilized society depends upon legitimate hierarchy, and a key object

> If "left" and "right" have any meaning at all, "right" describes a worldview under which civilized society depends upon legitimate hierarchy, and a key object of politics is properly defining and protecting that hierarchy. I've never heard anyone describe left and right this way, and I don't think anybody but the author thinks like this.

clipsy 1y ago
You may find https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Primals-Ranked-by-Variance-Shared-With-Conservative-Ideology-Across-Samples-n-4-484_fig2_363194735 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Primals-Ranked-by-Varian... to be interesting reading; belief that the world is intrinsically hierarchical is the strongest predictor (among 26 broad worldviews) of right wing political views.
- relaxing 1y ago
  That is a different statement.
jltsiren 1y ago
The left-right division in the general sense is based on equality. The left supports some interpretation of equality, no matter how misguided. Specific instances have included classical liberals supporting free markets and the rule of law, communists aiming for a violent revolution, and progressives focused on identity politics. The right is defined either through its opposition to the contemporary left or by the belief that some forms of hierarchies and inequality are unavoidable and/or desirable.
- raddan 1y ago
  > Specific instances have included classical liberals supporting free markets and the rule of law, communists aiming for a violent revolution, and progressives focused on identity politics. I’m not sure I understand how equality factors in. It is certainly a cornerstone of classic liberalism that all people should be equal under the law. But that does not mean that all people are equal, really, and you’d have to be blind to some really obvious circumstances to think that. I’ve always seen “the left” as being more defined by the idea that society should be governed less by tradition and more by a conscientious choice about what rules produce the best outcomes wrt happiness and prosperity. “Freedom” (until the word was co-opted by neocons) was a major feature of this kind of leftist system. This makes the opposition to the right clearer, because they want the converse. Many progressives talk a lot about equity, but I think it’s fair to say that there are a lot of differing opinions on that particular topic.
  - corimaith 1y ago
    The problem here is that Communists and Progressives actually do agree with alot of the fundamental assumptions about the nature of politics that the Right-Wing does that the Liberal center does not, namely the Schmittian "Concept of the Political". That's why the idea of horseshoe theory is often invoked when if their underlying structures are similar, then their actions often appear similar to the right, if not that they are structurally the same as the right.
Ancapistani 1y ago
I have, but it's wholly incorrect from an American perspective. This is the individualist/collectivist axis, basically.

clipsy 1y ago

You may find https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Primals-Ranked-by-Variance-Shared-With-Conservative-Ideology-Across-Samples-n-4-484_fig2_363194735 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Primals-Ranked-by-Varian... to be interesting reading; belief that the world is intrinsically hierarchical is the strongest predictor (among 26 broad worldviews) of right wing political views.

relaxing 1y ago
That is a different statement.

jltsiren 1y ago

The left-right division in the general sense is based on equality. The left supports some interpretation of equality, no matter how misguided. Specific instances have included classical liberals supporting free markets and the rule of law, communists aiming for a violent revolution, and progressives focused on identity politics. The right is defined either through its opposition to the contemporary left or by the belief that some forms of hierarchies and inequality are unavoidable and/or desirable.

raddan 1y ago
> Specific instances have included classical liberals supporting free markets and the rule of law, communists aiming for a violent revolution, and progressives focused on identity politics. I’m not sure I understand how equality factors in. It is certainly a cornerstone of classic liberalism that all people should be equal under the law. But that does not mean that all people are equal, really, and you’d have to be blind to some really obvious circumstances to think that. I’ve always seen “the left” as being more defined by the idea that society should be governed less by tradition and more by a conscientious choice about what rules produce the best outcomes wrt happiness and prosperity. “Freedom” (until the word was co-opted by neocons) was a major feature of this kind of leftist system. This makes the opposition to the right clearer, because they want the converse. Many progressives talk a lot about equity, but I think it’s fair to say that there are a lot of differing opinions on that particular topic.
- corimaith 1y ago
  The problem here is that Communists and Progressives actually do agree with alot of the fundamental assumptions about the nature of politics that the Right-Wing does that the Liberal center does not, namely the Schmittian "Concept of the Political". That's why the idea of horseshoe theory is often invoked when if their underlying structures are similar, then their actions often appear similar to the right, if not that they are structurally the same as the right.

Ancapistani 1y ago

I have, but it's wholly incorrect from an American perspective. This is the individualist/collectivist axis, basically.