Among the graphics on a whimsical country CD by Rick Moranis (yes, the actor) that I just picked up is a four-point compass with the terminal points on the east-west axis labeled "constraint" and "freedom," and the terminal points on the north-south axis labeled "reluctance" and "abandon." Not exactly the Advocates chart on the second axis, but is there a pattern such that the terms reluctance and abandon accurately characterize the sensibilities of many on the right and left respectively? Some other possible brainstorming word-identifications below...
LEFT RIGHT
abandon reluctance
self-indulgence self-discipline
enjoyment denial
instant gratification delayed gratification
impulsiveness consideration
impatience patience
flexibility rigidity
Love & liberty,
<<< starchild >>>
Interesting, but I would see these two axes as more coincident than
orthogonal.
Hmm. Reluctance and abandon seem internally-motivated, while
constraint and freedom seem externally-imposed.
Justin
Yes, I think that's an important distinction. Right and left both seek to shape peoples' internal motivations, while libertarianism seeks to focus on the external impositions.
Along these lines, it seems to me that religious or spiritual worldviews which focus on people "finding themselves," achieving "self-actualization," personal "enlightenment" (as opposed to external guidance from a prophet, savior, church, or overseeing God) are highly complementary to the libertarian movement.
When people can't be persuaded to let each other pursue their internal motivations via a political program, maybe they can be persuaded through a spiritual ethos that stresses finding one's own path.
Love & liberty,
<<< starchild >>>
Very good point (as also elaborated by Starchild). But using these two
particular axes to classify people would seem useful mainly for the
cases where they diverged--people who were internally abandoned but who
want external constraints, or who are internally constrained but want no
external constraints. I would guess that these cells of the table would
be rather sparsely occupied, so the dimensions would still be highly
overlapping.
Starchild:
That's awesome! I purchased this album as a download right to my iTunes
Library directly from Rick's website, but did not get the included artwork
My iPod Mini is a tad ancient when compared to the video iPods and Zunes
available, so I can't see any album art on that device either!
Great collection. Libertarians might get a chilling chuckle out of Moranis'
" S.O.S." and "I Ain't Going NoWhere," if not from all the other great
songs. I think I'll take "Four More Beers."
Highly Recommended!
Terry Floyd