One of my few disappointments with this site was that the choices under "Politics:" in the member profile reflect only the conventional "left-right" view of things.

I thought some of you would be interested in another way to look at the political landscape, and try out a short little quiz to see where it placed you.

I think you'll find the quiz pretty unbiased, although it is sponsored by a libertarian group.

The interesting thing about it, I think, is that it charts the political landscape in 2 dimensions.

I think it is a very useful perspective for those that haven't thought of things this way.

Come on... Try it. It will be fun.

Take the quiz here.

Then take the poll to say where you ended up...

Oh yeah...the question to debate...hmmmm.....

OK! What'd you think of the quiz? Did you end up where you expected?

(Oh, I chart out at 100% libertarian, by the way...)

PrismPaul

Well I guessI was the first to nibble. I scored centrist which was what I expected. I am a independent,which I don't see as a category.

It was fun and interesting.

Centerist here too. I am an independent type too so it was no surprise

Left-Liberal. Tending Authoritarian.

Yeah, the question choice, phrasing, and distribution- where all "yes" responses trend Libertarian- is completely unbiased. It's like a tour of the cardinal sins of polling. I re-took it voting for what all the status quo answers were, and I got Authoritarian- shouldn't the present reality be roughly centrist?

Anyway, I scored on the left-liberal/centrist border the last couple of times I took it. Back in the day, when I first took it, they didn't have the centrist block in the middle. I liked it more when it made everyone sound like an extremist.

Isn't this about the thirty-seventh variation on this quiz that's been posted here? While I remain a left-liberal, I'm much closer to the libertarian border on this one (my Personal Self-Government Score was 100%, my Economic Self-Government Score was 40%). This either has to do with the brevity of the quiz or the baleful influence of my libertarian colleagues at America's Debate...

Left-liberal 90% and ever so slightly authoritarian, but perhaps less so if I take the quiz on a different day. Cute quiz.

I got exactly the same score as Wertz. No surprises here. Extreme libertarian on "personal" issues, very centrist/moderate/wishy-washy on economic issues. Classic "libertarian left" type of person.

I never actually have to take these tests. I just have to peek at Victoria Silverwolf's answers and copy them down on my own test.

On this one, I got 100% on Personal and 50% on Economic. Same as always. Socially libertarian. Economically moderate.

and yes, Wertz, we have taken a bazillion of these political tests, but if someone posts a test, I naturally feel inclined to take it. It's like when the waiter brings a plate of food and says, "It's hot, don't touch." The first thing I do is touch the plate.

I got left liberal. the test said I was more libertarian, but reading the two explainations for left liberal and liberal is how I made the choice:





though I actually think the decision-making should be DE-centralized (ie more planning at state, local and county levels (higher up the "ladder" has less power)

I'm the right-conservative so far. Economic freedom, with boundaries in personal lives.

I just cant say yes to things like:

Repealing drug laws, when we can see its failure in Europe

OR

Disolving our boarders.

According to my answers, my political philosophy is libertarian.

Libertarian

Libertarians are self-governors in both personal and economic matters. They believe government's only purpose is to protect people from coercion and violence. They value individual responsibility, and tolerate economic and social diversity.

Sorry if this has been done before. I'm still new here. Didn't know.

But this is a great "get-to-know-you" excersize, so I hope more of the members participate...

It is fun reading these responses, and I'm kind of hoping that "libertarian" can catch up with those liberals...

TOO SHORT! I WANT A LONGER QUIZ!!!

Nazi! (just kidding)

oh, not on the list lol

Centrist. who woulda think. how vanilla.

No big surprise here: Libertarian
100% Personal and 80% Economic

(I believe we've taken this very same test before)

40% Personal 80% Economic, Right Conservative, shocker.

CP

I'm not sure how the fact that all "Yes" answers lead to "libertarian" makes the test biased. I think that just helps people understand how the quiz works.

The reason I thought it was relatively unbiased is that it does not ask sneaky questions to make people come out more libertarian than they really are. The questions are pretty cut and dried.

As for the test classifying "status quo" positions as "authoritarian", well that just goes to show what happens when you put liberals and conservatives in charge of things!

I am Libertarian, 100 percent personal, 60 percent economic. Remarkably close to Cyan's score, and Abs'

You know, Abs...when we first started at this site (around the same time as I remember) it seemed we disagreed on everything. Now, we seem to basically agree on most things...What the heck happened?

Your Personal Self-Government Score is 70%.
Your Economic Self-Government Score is 40%.

On the border between Centrist and Left Liberal.
Anybody in my neighborhood at all?

Abs, if you don't mind sharing, I'm curious:

What 2 questions did you say "no" to on the economic side?

You're just so close to being 100% correct that I can't help but ask.

Took it again. I'm pretty consistent:

As middle-of-the-road Libertarian as it gets

Yeah, ask someone at Zogby or Gallup how quickly you'd be fired if every factor determining the direction of a particular trait was the affirmative response. A good bit of old polling data has been called into question b/c one group (I think Columbia Univ., not sure) changed the order of their questionnaire one year and found that 20% of the populace or something had apparently jumped from conservative to liberal. Things like that are why you can make a poll say anything. Another big faux pas is having a positive statement, then asking if someone agrees. This was only done for drug laws and the minimum wage, two of the more unpopular parts. They could have made it plenty more biased, but they could have also made it plenty more subtle. I give it a C+ for objetivity and a B looking objective.

I bet the results would change- especially for people not familiar with Libertarian ideology to read between the lines- if you replaced "sex between consenting adults" with "prostitution" and "drugs" with "coke". Most people think "gays" and "marijuana" when asked about those issues. Additionally, when this was written, I doubt immigration, the draft, and blue laws were considered bigger issues than abortion and guns. All that being said, I love the diagram (w/o the bloody huge centrist part).

I'm right beside you, Eeyore
Your Personal Self-Government Score is 60%.
Your Economic Self-Government Score is 30%.

Right, pennDerek. Excellent points on the sex and drug questions. I also thought the absence of a gun rights question was odd, but that one doesn't really fit the "economic" vs. "personal" freedom paradigm. In that case conservatives are for more personal freedom. Maybe that's why it's not there.

I don't think there is an "official" libertarian position on abortion, so I'm not surprised they left that out. I know there are many pro-life libertarians who base their view on the granting personhood, and therefore all rights, to the unborn.

Anyway, thought I'd seize the chance to agree with you on something, since we've got that whole "economic freedom" thing going on in that other thread...

I scored-

According to your answers, your political philosophy is libertarian.

Libertarian
Libertarians are self-governors in both personal and economic matters. They believe government's only purpose is to protect people from coercion and violence. They value individual responsibility, and tolerate economic and social diversity.

Your Personal Self-Government Score is 90%.
Your Economic Self-Government Score is 90%.

I guess I am a libertarian.

Your Personal Self-Government Score is 80%.
Your Economic Self-Government Score is 30%.

Scores falling on the centrist border are counted as centrist.


Left of center liberal. Interesting.

Not a problem. And this exact quiz hadn't been posted before - just similar, longer ones. I'm with Cyan - someone posts a quiz, I'll take it.



While this isn't really the place to debate this, as you felt compelled to throw it in, I feel compelled to respond. The repeal of drug laws in Europe has not, in fact, been a failure. This has come up in debate here before and sources have been provided debunking this common (among some) myth.


What? Who would say yes to this? Someone who runs a bed-and-breakfast with an acid bath in the basement?? For the record, any boarders I've ever taken in have been treated extremely well. Does this make me more libertarian?

90% Personal
70% Economic

Making me a left of center libertarian. Huh, how'd that happen? I mean, we all knew I was a libertarian, but I've never come up left of center on anything that I can remember.

I answered "Maybe" to these questions, "Yes" to all the others:

"People should be free to come and go across borders; to live and work where they choose"
In principle yes, but there are certain practical difficulties. Hence, maybe.

"People are better off with free trade than with tariffs"
Same as with borders. In principle, yes, but ...

"End taxes. Pay for services with user fees"
Mmm, maybe. Case by case is the best I can do with this one.

"All foreign aid should be privately funded"
Maybe again. I do think we could do a lot more with private foreign aid, and I do think we should do less of the public kind.

None of that is a change in position for me, except that maybe the Buchananites have been getting to me a little bit on the free trade thing.