ScholarOne - The Left-Right Spectrum: Worse Than Useless
Abstract
The left-right spectrum is ubiquitous in political discourse, both
scholarly and lay. This paper argues that not only is the left-right
spectrum useless as a shorthand mapping devices for ideologies, but its
use actually impede understanding. The first part of this paper will
demonstrate not only why the left-right spectrum is unfit for purpose,
but why constructing an ideologically neutral spectrum is an
impossibility. In the course of doing so the paper will argue that the
continued use of the left-right spectrum serves to mask the hegemonic
dominance of liberal ideology.