Saying that liberals are on the “left” and conservatives are on the “right” goes back to the old General Assembly in post-revolutionary France. Representatives of the conservative factions–the nobility, the clergy–sat at the right of the meeting hall, while the Jacobins and other radical parties sat at the left. But such a spatial metaphor for the political spectrum can be quite misleading.
David G. Muller, Jr at American Thinker explains why and proposes a new spectrum. He points out that the conventional model goes like this, reading from left to right:
communism; socialism; liberalism; moderation; conservatism; fascism
Muller gives several reasons why this is doesn’t work. Among other problems, it depicts totalitarian systems at both ends. The poles are not opposite. And there is no place for libertarians, which apparently do exist. He proposes an alignment based on the degree that a political system allows for personal liberty as opposed to government control. Here is his alternative:
communism & fascism; socialism; liberalism; moderation; conservatism; libertarianism
He might have included other totalitarian ideologies at the left and put anarchism at the far right. This is better, I suppose, since there is a criterion, unlike the conventional model. But where would he put those who want the government to operate the economy but to maximize sexual freedom? Or how about those who believe in a free economy but also moral restraints? Where are law and order conservatives? Or European style “Christian Democrats” who are culturally conservative but believe the government should operate a welfare state to care for the poor?
How about a continuum based on revolutionary cultural change? Free market economics has changed culture in dynamic ways more than communism could ever pull off. Such a model might look like this:
free market conservatism; libertarianism; communism; fascism; socialism; moderation; Burkean cultural conservatism
What about the traditional polarity between democracy and monarchy? American-style republicanism of every stripe would be at the far left of the spectrum. One-party systems, such as communism, would be on the right, though not so far as hereditary monarchies.
What other spectrums could you devise based on other criteria?
HT: The Pearcey Report
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