Tuesday 4 May 2021

A political spectrum that makes more sense

Sketch 1: The conventional (and endlessly confusing) political spectrum

"Endless confusion persists in political analysis because of the false dichotomy the conventional spectrum (Sketch 1, above) suggests. People are taught to think that fascists Mussolini and Hitler were polar opposites of communists Lenin, Stalin and Mao. In fact, however, they were all peas in same collectivist pod. They all claimed to be socialists. They all sought to concentrate power in the State and to glorify the State. They all stomped on individuals who wanted nothing more than to pursue their own ambitions in peaceful commerce. They all denigrated private property, either by outright seizure or regulating it to serve the purposes of the State...
    "Instead of deploying flawed and simplistic spectrum charts, let us judge political and economic systems by who they empower—the State or the individual. That makes things a lot clearer."
          ~ Lawrence Reed, from his post 'The Only Spectrum That Makes Sense'
Sketch 2: A political spectrum based on whom politics most empowers, the State or the individual



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