James Burnham's Suicide of the West (1964) is a highly interesting read for anyone interested in political philosophy and political history. Although a lot of the author's critique of the Left is applicable to a modern context as well, most of it appears strange as what he defines as positions of the are more commonly in our present associated with the Right. Nonetheless, this is not a book review or a thread intended for a discussion of the book in itself. Rather would I like to see where other members of this forum stand based on Burnham's 39 question "political compass" also introduced in the same book. Liberals answer mostly agree whereas Conservatives pick mostly disagree. What are you according to this questionaire? Questions about the labels are reserved for another thread although some discussion on why what was Left Wing-positions "back then" have now become Right-Wing and vice versa is tolerated.
There are only 39 questions, so you can't be 50:50. And if you do not mind taking the test, why even bother posting here at all? This is not a tnread where I ask what you identify as, but rather one asking what the test identifies you as.
1-4 good. 5 ambivalent torture sucks but how do you define it? The whole of the art of war consists of so terrifying your enemy that he is unable to mount an effective defense. 6. History has shown time and time again that not all revolutionaries are created equal. Totalitarian crazies are still totalitarian crazies whether they currently hold power or not. I see no reason to support change for it's own sake if the nature of the change will in reality change only the names on the doors of a continuing and more thorough going despotism. 7. You can shove that one where the sun don't shine. The inevitable result of this is to increase the numbers of the poor and the indigent and grow the size of government while contributing little or nothing to the public weal. 8.Nonsense. Inheritance and progressive taxes are merely the best wake to make people ever more dependent on government functionaries to survive. 9. A necessary evil but it should be sharply limited. Taking someone's land to build a road or a military base is one thing, taking it and giving it to another individual to build a mall is an abuse and should be illegal. 10. The only duty we have is to be as fair and open in our dealings with all as possible. 11.The UN is exactly the opposite of where we need to go. 12. There is a difference between an assembly and a riot. Governments have a tendency to confuse the two when they believe it is to their benefit to do so. Drop the crap about juvenile corruption one man's juvenile corruption may well be another's religious exercise, 13. From that notion came the excuse for colonialism and imperialism and the cheesy idea of the white man's burden. 14.See above. 15.redundant. See number 1. 16. Not even close. 17.also redundant, see 2 and 4 above, 18.Well given that there are no communist states and that the phrase communist state is an oxymoron,,, 19. Okay. 20.Well given the fact that we shouldn't be there trying to run their countries in the first place... 21. Exactly why am I supposed to respect a religion whose adherents believe in conversion by the sword? 22. Duh 23..Censorship of political speech is always wrong however loathsome the ideology is, however defining exactly what constitutes political speech is can be an exercise akin to trying to count the number of angels standing on the head of a pin. 24.Yep 25. Nope. 26.Outside the class room yes within the class room parents have every right to be concerned about what their children are being taught and ought to be. 27.Obviously. 28, And those deceased. And please note that word citizen.. 29. Not even close. 30.Yep 31.Not necessarily. 32.Redundant see 1,2, and 4 33.How many different ways are there to say everyone is entitled to his own opinion? 34.See above. 35.Well should be anyway. 36.If you are going to insist on the federal government getting into the retirement fund business then yes everyone ought to be entitled to what he has contributed to it, 37. Ah but what is equal work? The devil is always in the details. By the way that has been the law for some decades now. 38.Sorry not a big fan of extortion which is in essence the stock and trade of the union movement. 39.Sorry not a right, and the more government tries to make it happen the more difficult they will make it to achieve. I would add one caveat to all of this and that is simply this: That which you are not willing to do for yourself the government will never be able to provide adequately or to your satisfaction.
Disagree. Racial and ethnic segregation and discrimination is how our nations and cultures have been formed and is actually, very often, a great way of fostering peace and saftey. Furthermore, I am a firm believer in freedom of association and thus support all forms of segregation and discrimination. Agree. Not much more to be said. Disagree. Education is not a right and nothing is ever free. We have experimented with public education for more than a century and it is fair to say it has been one gigantic failure; both economically and socially speaking. Disagree. Some groups are inherently evil and ought to be wiped out from the surface of Earth. Mostly agree, although this question is about a scenario that is rarely black and white. Disagree. The enemy of my enemy is not my friend. There is nothing guaranteeing the revolters are better than the dictators (see 'Arab Spring' or the numerous Communist revolutions). Disagree. Who is "the government?" Disagree. Taxation is theft. Disagree. Disagree. I am me and you are you. Disagree. All supranational organisations are inherently evil and corrupt by default. Agree. Disagree. Agree. Leave people alone. Disagree. No entrepreneur should be forced by law to provide his services for people he may not like. The loss is his and the free market solves this "problem" pretty automatically. Disagree. They are an intertangled web of socio-cultural, psychological and genetic forces. Claiming anything else is just anti-intellectual. Agree. Preferably within their own borders, so that they can starve and genocide each other without harming us. Disagree. Bureaucracy and diplomacy are corrupted tools of negotiation. Disagree. Rapists and murderers, for example, deserve to be hanged. Agree. Disagree. Some religious beliefs are objectively wrong and immoral. Agree, although my trust for "international policy" is zero and that my view on how to create peace differs drastically from theirs. Agree. Censorship is always wrong. Agree. Remove all forms of government now! Disagree. It ought to be decided primarily by ability and preferably privately. Agree. Agree. Disagree. Voting rights must be restricted unless one wishes to corrupt the entire system of democracy, which already is doomed to fail by default. Disagree. Disagree. Obviously, there is. Disagree. We need more guns and fewer bureaucrats. Disagree. Rights are deserved, not given. Agree. Agree. Disagree. The masses are stupid and tne government is vicious. Disagree. Disagree. This is just a bunch of "fluffy fluff" that does not mean anything. You get paid what you deserve. Disagree. Trade unions are always involved with tje government, distorting the market, causing high prices and fewer jobs with idiotic regulations and demands for licenses. Disagree. Life is tough and unfair, just get over it! --------------------------------------- =69, 23% Disagree 30, 76% Agree
By using the vague, abstract shorthand "liberal" and "conservative," the value of this fails out of the gate unfortunately. Many of the questions are loaded also, vague and badly worded. For just some examples, in #9, the issue with takings isn't government's right to do it, but towards what purpose. #13 doesn't differentiate citizens from non citizens, 17 has no language acknowledging limits on protected speech, 35 is unworkably vague. There are similar problems with most of the questions, as there almost always are in these types of things. A far more useful continuum would be "state" v "individual," or "individual freedom" v "central authority."
