From: Phil Osborn (philosborn2001@yahoo.com)
Date: Tue May 20 2003 - 20:03:40 MDT
Actually, it is the choice of the variables to map to
the dimensions which is important. Nolan saw
correctly that (1) there could be a fairly clean
division of state coercion into social vs. economic
and (2) that this division in fact reflected closely
the real political divisions, so much so, in fact,
that he ventured to use the resultant map to make
predictions as to future trends and possible
successful strategies. (Note that I am well aware -
as is David Nolan - that the division between social
and economic levels of coercion embodies a lot of
crossover and ambiguity. Not enough to render the
chart useless, however, by a long shot.)
He could, after all, have used other variables:
red/blond hair vs. black/brunette, or, race-based, or
rich vs. poor, but none of these mapped as well to
anything useful.
Unfortunately, he followed up this tour-de-force with
the creation of the Libertarian Party, which was
largely a disaster for the freedom movement, as I and
many others predicted at the time.
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