Roots of Ideology
T. Elliot Gaiser ·
August 30, 2011 at 2:31pm
I'm delighted to contribute here, and thought I'd begin a conversation about one of the most interesting truths of modern politics.
With few exceptions, the same people find themselves glaring at each other from opposite sides of almost every issue. Writers like Sowell, Kirk and Niebuhr have made the argument that there is a certain kind of "root" idea or set of ideas that form the assumptions for the political framework of our modern polity.
What are those root ideas that underpin the two fundamental -- almost "archetypical" -- political perspectives?
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Jul '10
Re: Roots of Ideology
I think the "root" ideas of the modern Left and Right are as old as human society itself. There is truly a fundamental, unbridgeable gap between the two philosophies. Oddly enough, the Progressive 1924 presidential candidate Bob LaFollette got it right when he said (paraphrasing) "The struggle between the community and the individual is as old as history itself." He really cut to the heart of the political assumptions of both sides. It is the greatest struggle of history; individual vs. collective rights.
Herbert Spencer's "Man vs. the State" is an excellent dissection of the struggle. Ultimately, the Left believes that collective rights (be they class, races, gender) trump all else. They are more concerned about "society," the "greater good," and "equality" and hope to achieve such ends through the state.
In contrast, the Right (or at least the non-Left) holds in Madison's and Jefferson's words, "property rights as sacred as scripture." Individual liberty, economic freedom, and the protection of private property is essential to the conservative. That's the reason the left and right cannot just "come together." They are fundamentally opposed at their core.
Dec '10
Re: Roots of Ideology
I'd say Byron Horatio has it right, but I've also observed there is an inverse psychology at work in the two groups.
The Left externalizes moral failings in individuals (society, poverty, or poor parenting cause crime or unethical behavior) and internalizes moral success (I have good intentions, therefore I am good, whatever the outcome).
The Right internalizes moral failings in individuals (I'm a sinner, therefore I will rely on historical social norms, tradition and the Ultimate Authority to check my failings) and externalizes moral success (God is the greatest good; adherence to natural law produces good societies).
Re: Roots of Ideology
The divide I think is fundamentally on the topic of equality. Whether or not natural inequality can be overcome, and ultimately remedied. The Right accepts natural inequality, due to our permanent, constant, flawed human nature, while the Left, holding that man is malleable and able to be improved through social progress, finds this the ultimate goal. I do think though that the left and its smattering of philosophies has much less of a core disposition or mindset like conservatives. To clarify, there is an important distinction to be made between the Right and conservatism, but that's a different topic.
Mar '11
Re: Roots of Ideology
I’m going to challenge your premise a bit, but only because I agree that there are some fundamental divides within political philosophy that help to produce (even in those not conscious of the questions) political views as they play out on the ground.
I don’t think that contemporary liberals/conservatives are The Two Fundamental Archetypal positions. There are a number of positions that might be considered fundamental, and modern liberals and conservatives share a number of ideas (especially in America) that render them largely part of the same “liberal” tradition—though they have grown further apart.
The divide is more over how you answer some of the fundamental questions of political philosophy (I don’t use ideology because that term has Marxist undertones that I refuse to abide in this context. I can elaborate if necessary): What is freedom? What is a healthy society? What is human dignity? What is honor? Do God and divine law exist? What is justice? What is duty? What is virtue? What is love and what is friendship? What is war? (and numerous other questions)...
That the answers to these questions tend to cluster into groups is because the questions themselves overlap.
May '10
Re: Roots of Ideology
I'm persuaded by Sowell's explanation: the constrained vision v. the unconstrained vision.
I'd go one half step further and note that belief in God is the most common underpinning for the constrained vision, and atheism (typically, philosophical agnosticism expressing itself as practical atheism) is the most common underpinning of the unconstrained vision.