Online quiz to see if you are more "left, right, Authoritarian or Libertarian"

[BitChick]

My friend posted this quiz on Facebook the other day and it was actually quite interesting.  I found out I was more Libertarian than I thought.  I guess I should have know, even being involved in the Bitcoin Community.  I scored in the green close to Nelson Mandella and not too far from Ghandi so I guess I did about as good as anyone could do.   I was in good company at least.  I would be curious how others did on it though.  I tend to think I am pretty conservative so I was actually surprised I was slightly on the "left" side.  Very interesting!

To take the test go to the site and click on "Take the test" on the left:


http://www.politicalcompass.org/

[Shallow]

Apparently I'm somewhat left-wing 

[Rannasha]

Nice test. Good that it hammers the point home that the simple leftwing-rightwing depiction of the political spectrum is too simple. Also nice to see that it puts both US presidential candidates from the previous election (Obama, Romney) in the same authoritarian-right quadrant, with Romney just a tad more towards the corner than Obama.

Myself, I scored close to the middle on the economic axis and strongly leaning towards libertarian on the social axis, which is the expected result, I would say.

[Hawker]

Economic Left/Right: -2.25
Social Libertarian/Authoritarian: -3.90

Seems my economics are more to the left than the right wing and my politics are more libertarian than authoritarian. 

Interesting quiz.  Separating economics from politics makes sense as we can do a lot about political differences but the forces that drive economics are much harder to deal with.

[Carlton Banks]

My friend posted this quiz on Facebook the other day and it was actually quite interesting.  I found out I was more Libertarian than I thought.   [...] I tend to think I am pretty conservative so I was actually surprised I was slightly on the "left" side.  Very interesting!

There is no left and right. Or at least, the concept isn't a useful way of analysing politics, but of the ruling classes controlling the freedom oriented factions (Libertarians and Liberals). It's a smart setup; the two authoritarian schools, Socialism and Fascism, get put on opposite sides of the spectrum. Then the Liberals get lumped in with the Socialists, and the Libertarians with the Fascists. It's pure divide and rule, and it's worked amazingly well.

Think about this: left and right have zero political connotations when you think about what the words actually mean. It's almost impossible to have mapped a less relevant polar spectrum onto the political viewpoints equilibrium. That actually helps, left and right as a wholesale concept is pretty relativistic. If they'd used up and down, or black and white, the deception would be a little more blatant.

[pedrog]

So, I guess I'm a social libertarian, I was suspecting this for quite some time.

I don't think many people here are gonna get positive numbers...

[Topazan]

Looks like I've drifted quite a ways to the right since the last time I took that test.

[Carlton Banks]

Looks like I've drifted quite a ways to the right since the last time I took that test.

On the way to becoming a fascist! What will your left wing friends think! Sorry people, but this left/right thing is bunk. It doesn't mean anything.

[BitChick]

So, I guess I'm a social libertarian, I was suspecting this for quite some time.

I don't think many people here are gonna get positive numbers...

You are about the polar opposite of Obama. 

[Topazan]

Looks like I've drifted quite a ways to the right since the last time I took that test.

On the way to becoming a fascist! What will your left wing friends think! Sorry people, but this left/right thing is bunk. It doesn't mean anything.

Heh, no, I'm still libertarian as ever.  It just took me awhile to realize that economic freedom is just as important as social freedom.

It is kind of surreal that many of the arguments that make me head-desk now are the exact same ones I've used in the past.  And yes, the left/right thing really makes me rage when I see an argument that amounts to "The other side wants that, so it must be bad!"

[hawkeye]

[Carlton Banks]

Looks like I've drifted quite a ways to the right since the last time I took that test.

On the way to becoming a fascist! What will your left wing friends think! Sorry people, but this left/right thing is bunk. It doesn't mean anything.

And yes, the left/right thing really makes me rage when I see an argument that amounts to "The other side wants that, so it must be bad!"

Yep, that's the other classic, politicians drink this particular kool-aid mercilessly. And it validates the laziest type of argument dismissal that you can use: "you're wrong because you're ideology is on the other side of a logically invalid artificial barrier, therefore argument is pointless". I can't believe people are so tunnel visioned that they can't look at all the ideologies on their merits, they assume that there's only one "correct" answer, and they're damn sure they've chosen it. And never does anyone on TV or in the news media question the validity of this left/right falsehood, instead they use the concept like it's some kind of proven principles of physics, by virtue of the fact that everyone else always speaks in left/right terms.

When you think about it, the more you think about it, the more the contradictions just flood in. How come environmentalism is simultaneously left wing and conservative? How come right-wingers strongly push for liberal capitalism?

[Hawker]

Looks like I've drifted quite a ways to the right since the last time I took that test.

On the way to becoming a fascist! What will your left wing friends think! Sorry people, but this left/right thing is bunk. It doesn't mean anything.

And yes, the left/right thing really makes me rage when I see an argument that amounts to "The other side wants that, so it must be bad!"

Yep, that's the other classic, politicians drink this particular kool-aid mercilessly. And it validates the laziest type of argument dismissal that you can use: "you're wrong because you're ideology is on the other side of a logically invalid artificial barrier, therefore argument is pointless". I can't believe people are so tunnel visioned that they can't look at all the ideologies on their merits, they assume that there's only one "correct" answer, and they're damn sure they've chosen it. And never does anyone on TV or in the news media question the validity of this left/right falsehood, instead they use the concept like it's some kind of proven principles of physics, by virtue of the fact that everyone else always speaks in left/right terms.

When you think about it, the more you think about it, the more the contradictions just flood in. How come environmentalism is simultaneously left wing and conservative? How come right-wingers strongly push for liberal capitalism?

Absolutely agree.  I am labelled left wing because I support gay marriage and right wing because I believe in the rule of law.  Stupid labels create a contradiction where there is none.

[Carlton Banks]

Chris Rock helped me solidify this, as jokes do so well: "Crime, I'm Conservative. Prostitution, I'm Liberal"

The labels and the -isms and the polar opposites aren't important; think about everything on it's merits and if it contradicts a box someone trys to paint you into, tell them they're wrong.

[AceWallen]

i expect many right libertarians on this forum  

[Rassah]

I don't think many people here are gonna get positive numbers...

I suspect FirstAscent may be positive...


Woah, holy crap!



Last time I took this, I was right down the center line, just above libertarian. Now it's right? I still answered all the sex, gays, and religion questions the same way. I guess this relfects me being a tad more pro-business/free market? I didn't think my views changed all that much in the last 6 months.

I notice that, in the example of famous people on that chart, there is no one in the purple section. Likewise, I don't see Ayn Rand on there, or pretty much any business or economist types

[Severian]

"The real division is not between conservatives and revolutionaries but between authoritarians and libertarians."

-George Orwell

[BitChick]

I don't think many people here are gonna get positive numbers...

I suspect FirstAscent may be positive...


Woah, holy crap!



Last time I took this, I was right down the center line, just above libertarian. Now it's right? I still answered all the sex, gays, and religion questions the same way. I guess this relfects me being a tad more pro-business/free market? I didn't think my views changed all that much in the last 6 months.

I notice that, in the example of famous people on that chart, there is no one in the purple section. Likewise, I don't see Ayn Rand on there, or pretty much any business or economist types

Rassah,  don't you find it funny that you are more "right" and I am more "left"?    With all of my pro-Christian posts on the other threads I would have thought I would have scored in the far right.  I am actually in the green though.

I guess being a tad more pro-business puts you in good company with the right-wing crowd!  LOL

Just kidding here of course! And I have no comment on the authenticity of the test.  I just said it was "Interesting."  That it is!  

[BitChick]

"The real division is not between conservatives and revolutionaries but between authoritarians and libertarians."

-George Orwell

Interesting quote!!

So far everyone seems to be unified as being in the libertarian section on this board.

[Severian]

So far everyone seems to be unified as being in the libertarian section on this board.

That's why I've never liked the BS right/left/conservative/liberal labels as pushed by mass culture.

There's two kinds of people in political life: those who think they're fit to rule others and those who prefer to rule themselves. Unthinking people get ruled by the first group.