What is horseshoe theory?
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The idea that the extremes to both end of the political spectrum are closer to each other than they are to the center. Baisicly far right and far left are closer than they both are to the center.
Horseshoe theory is the idea that the far left and far right are in fact very similar to one another.
This is born of an incorrect interpretation of the left-right spectrum. Most people assume that Communism / Anarchy is “far left” and Fascism / Nazism is “far right”. This is wrong. In reality, Communism and Nazism are both far left; Nazis are simply “less” far left than Communists.
An accurate political spectrum would put Communism on the far left and laissez-faire Capitalism (or possibly ‘true anarchy’) on the far fight. This creates a scale with absolute authoritarianism on the left extreme and complete, unrestricted freedom on the right extreme.
Note that this is not a moral judgement system as critics often claim; it does not make all bad things automatically “left wing”. After all, a totally free system would allow companies to sell poison as a health product, which most people would not support. Rather, it frames the extremes in a meaningful way; the extreme left has no individual rights or freedoms; the extreme right has no collective responsibilities or protections.
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