We hear about the left and the right all the time in political discourse, but have you ever stopped to think what they actually mean? Maybe you have a vague idea what the difference is, but can’t put it into words. Or maybe you’re completely lost and are just pretending you know what everyone is talking about. Honestly, that’s what I did for about the first 12 years of my life, and I would have loved for someone to explain these labels. So let’s do that.
Definitions of left and right are very difficult to pin down, because of both the confusion surrounding them and how vague they are. Definitions change between countries and time periods, and looking to their origins can be not only unhelpful, but confusing.
But regardless of this, I set out to find a defining difference between these two labels. To put it simply, left-wing ideas promote equality, while right-wing ideas promote hierarchy. These definitions are broad and intentionally so. We need to think of these distinctions not as two labels or even two groups, but as marking a continuum between the far-left and far-right.
Now that you know their simple definitions, let’s compare them to other definitions you’ve probably heard before.
You may hear that the left supports a larger government than the right. What does this actually mean though? A larger government would typically require higher taxes, enforce more restrictions and regulations, and overall have more power. Those on the right particularly love this framing because an idea of a big government interfering in the lives of everyday citizens is generally unpopular. But are these definitions accurate?
It is true that taxes under a left-wing government will likely be higher, however they are usually to pay for programs that are meant to benefit the working classes. And those increases in taxes tend to be more concentrated among the more wealthy.
A progressive tax system is one in which the percentage of money that the government taxes, or the tax rate, increases as the taxable amount increases. Basically, wealthier people will have a higher percentage of their income taxed. A progressive tax system is a left-wing idea because it is meant to reduce income and wealth inequality.
A right-wing idea would be a flat tax: everyone would be taxed at the same rate, regardless of income. Some proponents believe that a flat tax rate isn’t meant to address income and wealth inequality, while others believe that the money acquired by the wealthy will trickle down to the lower classes through economic growth. But I would say that the majority of right-wing thinkers are mainly in favor of it because they claim it is a more fair taxation system that respects a fair hierarchy.
[Of course there are different levels of progressive tax rates, some of which are more extreme than others, and many of which would be considered right wing in the United States. Not many people support a true flat tax rate as that is considered a more radical position.]
So the debate isn’t really isn’t about how much the government should be able to take from you, but how much particular socioeconomic groups should pay, in relation to one another.
It is clear that differences in government power and the left-right spectrum do impact each other, but they are definitely not the same thing. We actually have other terms that answer to what degree government should be able to impose its will upon its citizens. Authoritarianism states that the government should impose its will to a greater extent, and libertarianism states it should impose its will less so.
Using these two axes, we can form a grid with four quadrants instead of two ends, and this works a little bit better. We still have to be careful because this compass gives the illusion of specificity when it's more of a vague soup.
Let’s look at another idea of what left and right wing means. There is a conception that those on the left are pushing for a new social and political order, while those on the right are protecting the existing order. This is actually somewhat true, but not by definition.
Our world has been moving further to the left for the past few centuries and younger generations seem to be continuing this pattern. Of course it's been a bumpy road, but there is a general trend. However, this move to the left gives the illusion that pushing for a new order is a leftist idea. It isn’t always, and that’s not by what left-wing politics is defined.
When defining the right, there are similar problems. The right is not inherently in favor of bringing back the old order, this is the goal of conservatives. Conservative beliefs have tended to be to the right, and the term ‘conservative’ is largely synonymous with ‘right-wing’ in our society today. You could consider the opposite of a conservative a progressive, someone who favors social change and a new social order.
This raises the question, if not the opposite of conservatism, what is the definition of liberalism? Liberalism advocates for a capitalist economy, but the amount of regulation on the economy depends on the variant. For example, modern liberalism, the dominant variant practiced in the United States today, places responsibility on the government to intervene, but only as long as individual liberty is sustained. However, modern liberalism is very different from classical liberalism. Classical liberalism advocates for as little government intervention as possible. In terms of cultural issues like civil rights, modern liberals are on the left, while classical liberals don’t really fit on this spectrum, instead supporting the least government involvement.
So, to summarize, liberalism is a very broad term with many different definitions and variants around the world, which can be substituted for leftism in many, but not all, circumstances. Conservatism can sometimes be substituted for rightism, but it is a more specific term. Liberalism doesn’t mirror conservatism, but instead both are on opposite sides of acceptable beliefs in American discourse.
If you want to think of the left and right as an economic spectrum, as the Political Compass does, you would think of capitalism at the right end and communism at the left end. I’m not going to discuss these labels in depth because that opens up a whole nother can of worms. To put it simply, the farther left you are economically, the more you believe the means of production should be owned publicly instead of privately.
But how does this relate to our original definitions of equality and hierarchy? Well, capitalism and its free market rely on social classes and a hierarchy of wealth. There needs to be a working class, who work for a living, and a capitalist class, who own capital and employ the workers, in order for an economy to be considered capitalist. However, communists strive for equality by eliminating the class system, money, and the state, then distributing resources based on need.
Let’s remember that very few people are in favor of full capitalism or communism. There is a spectrum in between those two extremes on which almost everyone falls. It is also important to remember that the United States discourse is to the right, as even moderately socialist ideas are considered extreme. A “leftist” in the United States will likely support heavily regulated capitalism with some socially owned industries. But even someone on the right in the United States will probably still support government-controlled national parks, schools, and transportation systems, to a certain degree. Even though they might not be too relevant in day-to-day politics, understanding these extremes allows us to better understand the principles that guide the left and the right.
I hope now you understand that these terms are more complicated than are we led to believe. I would argue that these terms are extremely relevant to our society, so understanding them can result in more informed dialogue. Labels have meaning and power, so when assigning one to an idea or an individual, ensure that you are confident in its meaning. It's important not to identify too strongly with a label, or else you can risk losing freethought. Keep your mind open, but also keep it informed. Goodbye internet.