We have this pair of labels in the US, Conservative (almost always Republican) and Liberal (almost always Democrat.) There are libertarians and communists, but those are fringe here.

I SAY that there are Relativists and there are Absolutists. Democrats are conservative Relativists and Republicans are conservative Absolutists.

The Absolutist believes that there is a God-defined best practice for all things in the universe. The Relativist believes that best practice is what we agree upon. Absolutists believe that following rules is a good thing. Relativists believe that judging every situation on its merits without looking to the law is a good thing.

A quick aside for Anarchy, Leadership and all that. Anarchy has been given a bad name by conflating it with Chaos. The Absolutist’s greatest nightmare is Chaos. The yin of that yang is Conformance vs. Fascism. Conformity has been given a bad name by conflating it with Fascism. The Relativists greatest nightmare is Blind-Following.

The cruelty of Absolutists is that non-conformists are marginalized. The cruelty of Relativists is that the over-achiever is penalized. The autistic, the artist, the one who doesn’t believe in consumerism is dis-incentivized. So now my position is revealed.

One perfect world would be the hive or colony. All members are identical, therefore there is never dissent. Dissent is uncomfortable, and in the hive it is perfectly acceptable to eat the dissenter. Voila! The discomfort of dissent is quickly gone.

There are a few hallmarks of Fascism:

• Following the leader is paramount.
• Simplifying the list of goals is highly valued.
• Goals at the bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy are considered most truthful.

Countering these points, we resort to the philosophers of history.

• Think for yourself
• Things should be as simple as possible, BUT NO SIMPLER.
• Transcendent achievement is the ultimate goal.

There is another dividing line amongst the talking head pundits. That of practical goal setting. The practical bloke says … “well … that will never happen, so let’s set our sights on the achievable.” While the dreamer says … “I know it’s currently possible … but never lose sight.”