Unlocked: Myth of the Month 6: Political Left and Right by Historiansplaining

Unlocked after one year for patrons only, a discussion of our fixation with organizing political views into an axis "left" against "right":

As new political parties -- left-populists, neo-fascists, and secessionists -- rapidly rise and fall across Europe and other Western countries, and spontaneous protests blur partisan boundaries in the streets of Paris, the old left-to-right scale of political ideology is just not working. What value does this one-dimensional model of politics have, and where did it come from? In fact, it has to do with where you sit at a formal dinner party.

Become a patron at any level in order to hear patron-only lectures as soon as they post (https://www.patreon.com/c/u5530632), or alternatively, non-patrons can buy the entire playlist of Myths of the Month, including “The Enlightenment,” “Race,” "Game of Thrones," & “Capitalism,” among others: https://www.patreon.com/collection/2031535?view=condensed

Suggested further reading: Yuval Levin, "The Great Debate"; Jonathan Haidt, "The Righteous Mind"