The origins of right and left are, as Leon_Grotsky said, terms arising from where groups sat during the French Revolution. In mordern usage, imo, the key difference is how many people should have control over society relative to the status quo. The right wants this control more concentrated in fewer people, while the left wants this control more spread out. Thus a liberal is left of a monarchist but right of a socdem who in turn is right of a communist.
The political compass was made up by libertarians to trick people into thinking they were libertarians.
The political compass was made up by libertarians to trick people into thinking they were libertarians.
Created along with a very pointed survey which tells anybody who's not a genocidal maniac that the best way to improve the world is living in a trailer in the middle of the woods and not interacting with the world at all.
The origins of right and left are, as Leon_Grotsky said, terms arising from where groups sat during the French Revolution. In mordern usage, imo, the key difference is how many people should have control over society relative to the status quo. The right wants this control more concentrated in fewer people, while the left wants this control more spread out. Thus a liberal is left of a monarchist but right of a socdem who in turn is right of a communist.
The political compass was made up by libertarians to trick people into thinking they were libertarians.
Created along with a very pointed survey which tells anybody who's not a genocidal maniac that the best way to improve the world is living in a trailer in the middle of the woods and not interacting with the world at all.