this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2023
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The political compass is a better representation purely because it acknowledged that political ideals aren't a linear spectrum, but it still misses the mark because a plane isn't sufficient either.
Politics is such a complex topic and any simple representation of it will lead to what would appear to be contradictions in a person's beliefs.
Absolutely. And certainly with this kind of geometric modelling, with a spectrum or plane where these broad and complex concepts are ordered more-than or less-than others.
I disagree with even this. It's not better, it's equally inappropriate.
The political compass is adding an extra idealist axis to an undefined axis (the linked video explains this in more proper detail). It's just digging further into a hole in an attempt to make it work, when the whole paradigm is wrong. And this is bad, because the compass model has rationalized that undefined, subjective linear spectrum. It helps delude people.
My only point on the compass being a better representation is that it acknowledged a problem. That's not to say it's a good representation.
I think it's unhelpful to say that a step toward more fidelity is the same level of bad, though. Even if it's the tiniest step, it's a move in the right direction by pointing out that a single line isn't sufficient.
In reality, it would be more like a series of lines on different topics weighted differently by an individuals priorities so no singular generic representation will ever be truly good enough.
In reality, there are no lines. And that's exactly why I say, it's not a step forward to add another vague idealist axis on top of a vague undefined idealist axis. Politics is not geometrical, there isn't a concept of ordered values. The entire method of thinking is wrong, and that video helps explain what a more appropriate alternative model based on human history is like.
Adding an axis is just walking forward down a wrong path; a move in the wrong direction by suggesting the issue is about how much fidelity we have.