Mr Sumner's illuminating diagram highlights the absence of pragmatic but non-corrupt, non-idealistic conservatives and progressives. If it suggested that they exist, then it would mean that there is room for perfection in human conceived forms of governance. For me it is complete as it is, as it depicts humanity as it is, without trying to complete possible configurations that are not humanly possible.
Sumner's wheel of ideology
SCOTT SUMNER isn't just one of the internet's finest economic commentators. He's also a crack gentleman amateur political theorist. In a recent post, Mr Sumner offers a fresh and intriguing political typology. Behold:
My goal here is to set things up in such a way that each group has a values affinity to those on one side, and an ideological affinity to those on the other side. So you could circle any two adjoining groups, and describe a common feature:
1. Progressives/Pragmatic libertarians: Both tend to be secular utilitarians, or at least consequentialists
2. Pragmatic and dogmatic libertarians: Both favor very small government
3. Dogmatic libertarians and idealistic conservatives: Both are nostalgic for the past, and revere the (original intent of) the Constitution.
4. Idealistic conservatives and corrupt Republicans: Both are Republicans.
5. Corrupt Republicans and corrupt Dems: Both believe in realpolitik, are disdainful of fuzzy-headed, idealistic intellectuals.
6. Corrupt Democrats and idealistic progressives: Both are Democrats
Thus on values there are three pairings: utilitarian, natural rights, and selfish. On ideology there are three different pairings: Democrat, Republican and libertarian.
Indeed, Mr Sumner argues that policy-minded intellectuals of all ideological stripes have arrived at rough consensus on a number of issues ranging from occupational licensing to urban policy, but I don't think we'd want to say that this makes the conservatives and progressives among them honorary pragmatic libertarians. Mr Sumner's illuminating diagram would make more sense to me if it made room for pragmatic but non-corrupt, non-idealistic conservatives and progressives. Maybe somebody can figure out how to draw that.
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