Right vs. Left or Nature vs. Nurture?

Right, Left, Progressives and Nazis on a New Axis

Political ideas in the United States have traditionally been differentiated along a continuum of right to left. Right is often characterized as socially and fiscally conservative, while the left is broadly characterized as socially liberal. However, this characterization can miss an important aspect of our view of humanity and how that view informs our expectations for policy. This aspect is our individual and collective views of nature and nurture, and to what extent each informs our understanding of what makes humans tick.

Those on the end of the axis towards nature believe that humans cannot be completely molded or changed. They believe that political institutions should be created to “fence-in” the negative aspects of that nature, while preserving as much individual freedom as possible.

People on the nurture end, often referred to as “social constructionists,” believe that humans can be molded by institutions, society, and language to form what they believe to be better societies. The manifestation of that society varies depending on the time in history and the individual beliefs and values of the social constructionist. The one thing that remains consistent is that there are those among us who have the ability to dictate what that society…