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paper-machine comments on Open thread, 9-15 June 2014 - Less Wrong Discussion

3 Post author: Tenoke 09 June 2014 01:07PM

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Comment author: [deleted] 12 June 2014 07:05:09PM *  0 points [-]

I... don't know. I don't identify with the self-identified libertarians in my peer group.

EDIT: Just scored -6.62 (Leftist) and -6.21 (Libertarian) on the political compass. So I suppose I am. Weird.

Comment author: blacktrance 12 June 2014 09:55:30PM 2 points [-]

What the political compass calls "Libertarian" would more accurately be described as "Socially Progressive". Actual libertarianism is the political compass's bottom-right quadrant.

Comment author: [deleted] 13 June 2014 07:30:08AM 0 points [-]

I think the use of “libertarian” to refer to right-libertarian specifically is a mostly US thing.

Comment author: Viliam_Bur 13 June 2014 01:49:25PM 4 points [-]

Once there was a confusion about what "liberal" really means, so some people decided to call themselves libertarians instead. Now there is a confusion about what "libertarian" really means.

Seems to me we have some kind of ideology-name treadmill here, which works like this:

  • start a political movement
  • become popular
  • many people will use the name of your movement, even if they disagree with a few (or later: many) points
  • at some moment those people will complain that you want the definition to include you, when you are obviously merely a fringe member of this movement
Comment author: pragmatist 13 June 2014 02:28:00PM *  1 point [-]

And it's not even universal in the US. Or at least, it wasn't at some point. Noam Chomsky has often referred to himself as a libertarian, and he is certainly not a right-libertarian. Glenn Greenwald is also sometimes called a libertarian, and he doesn't have right-wing economic views either.

Comment author: drethelin 12 June 2014 07:41:50PM 1 point [-]

Hurrah for increasing self-knowledge!

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