Political compass

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The chart proposed by the Political Compass Organisation

A political compass or political diamond is a multi-axis model used to label or organize political thought on several dimensions. They are intended as an alternative to the originally French one-axis (Left versus Right) model, that has been widely adopted over the past two centuries; see glossary of the French Revolution.

The illustration appeared in Floodgates of Anarchy, by Albert Meltzer and Stuart Christie, published in 1970. However, the term Political Compass was originated by a [website] which runs an online questionnaire that will rate your political views on two axes: Economic (Left-Right) and Social (Authoritarian-Libertarian). The site also includes an explanation of the two-axis system they use, a few charts which place various past and present political figures according to their estimation, and reading lists for each of the main political orientations.

The underlying principle of the Political Compass is that political views may be measured along two separate and independent axes. The Economic (Left-Right) axis measures one's opinion of how the economy should be run: "The Left" is defined as the view that the economy should be run by a cooperative collective agency (which is usually taken to mean the state, but can also mean a network of communes), while "the Right" is defined as the view that the economy should be left to the devices of competing individuals and organizations. The other axis (Authoritarian-Libertarian) purports to measure one's political opinions in a "Social" (as distinct from "Economic") sense, regarding a view of the appropriate amount of "personal freedom": "Libertarianism" is defined as the belief that personal freedom should be maximized, while "Authoritarianism" is defined as the belief that authority and tradition should be obeyed.

The labels given to the different fields and axes on the compass are based on European/Commonwealth terminology. Some of those labels are used differently in the politics of the United States, which may generate confusion among some American visitors to the website. This issue is discussed in the [Political Compass FAQ].

An analysis of contemporary political figures and electorates can be found at [The Political Compass Website]. See also the [graph of contemporary political leaders] set out on that site.

Controversy over methodology

Like most websites dedicated to politics, the Political Compass has produced its share of controversy. Much of this controversy is related to specific questions asked on their questionnaire. As an example, there is a question related to abstract art, and a lack of acceptance of such art is taken to be indicative of authoritarian beliefs, on the basis that "authoritarian régimes frequently attack highly imaginative and unconventional art, music and literary works as a threat to the rigid cultural conformity they uphold". [link] Some feel that this blurs the distinction between personal tastes and political views.

External link

[The Political Compass Organization]

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