How Far Could The Left And Right Possibly Go?

[ex_banana-eater]

What is the most dangerous extreme?

Considering the left could never want to advocate socialism because of its "impracticality", how far left would they go? I would estimate most of the radicals set their eyes on a place like Sweden, whereas regular liberals want a place similar to Canada. Of course, moving in that direction might only create more momentum toward quasi-socialism.

How far would the religious right move if they had a stronghold in politics? I assume that if the religious right became stronger, so would the philosophy of "prudence" that influences most people. If you look over at the Christianexodus forum, they actually argue if women should be allowed to wear pants! I imagine taxes would be lower, and there would be free trade with more countries, but regulation like the FDA would be untouched from its present form.

None of this is meant to be concrete statements, but is really a introductory vignette to the discussion that I hope follows. I think this discussion is needed since it has been touched on in many threads (although focussing more on philosophical power and not political end-results).

[Yes]

In my opinion, any political movement that ignores individual rights and property rights, and favors the collective over the individual, is dangerous.

The extreme left will do this with its statism.

The extreme right will do this with its religion, and its emphasis on faith over reason, sacrifice over achievement.