• naught101@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    But left and right aren’t absolute positions, they change in time. E.g. democrats now hold a lot of similar positions to what the republicans held in the 1980s (and also a lot of different ones).

    Left and right are also a unidimensional approximation of a multidimensional value space… E.g. most people on the left disagree with nearly everything Marjorie Taylor Greene says, but they agree with her that the US should not be supporting Israel’s war on Iran.

    There are also people on the left AND the right that oppose global economic liberalisation, but what is often called the “centre” supports it - clearly not a “middle” stance.

    So how can you meaningfully define what is led and what is right, for the purpose of your reading?

    • Arkouda@lemmy.caOP
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      2 days ago

      But left and right aren’t absolute positions, they change in time.

      What do you think that means for the center?

      • naught101@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        That it also changes in time and is not absolute. And also, in many ways, that it does it does not exist (in the sense that the “centre” in one dimension might be correlated with extremes in another)

        • Arkouda@lemmy.caOP
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          1 day ago

          If the center, right, and left change over time how do you expect me to define “center” beyond that which is situated between left and right?

          • naught101@lemmy.world
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            1 day ago

            I just showed you an example of where “centre” as commonly defined is not between left and right, but opposed by both…

            I guess the point is, I think those definitions are deficient, and using them as a guide to understanding what is good or true is probably a flawed methodology. It’s kind of reminiscent of Fox News’ old “fair and balanced” slogan (which never was, but also just missed the point of what journalism is supposed to be about, which is truth).

            • Arkouda@lemmy.caOP
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              1 day ago

              I just showed you an example of where “centre” as commonly defined is not between left and right, but opposed by both…

              The plural of anecdote is not data.

              • naught101@lemmy.world
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                22 hours ago

                If your hypothesis is “all swans are white”, and I show you a black swan, do you reject your hypothesis?

                • Arkouda@lemmy.caOP
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                  7 hours ago

                  Tell you what, you define right and left, I will define the center of it if that will help you wrap your brain around it. Otherwise I have no idea what it is you are trying to accomplish other than starting a zero sum fight so unless you get it together I’m out.