Destra e sinistra. Due concetti sospesi fra essenze, tipi ideali e convenzioni

(Right and Left: Two Concepts Suspended Between Essences, Ideal Types and Conventions)

Abstract

For decades, in the philosophical as well as the historical, political theory, and sociological fields, a debate has developed on two related albeit distinct themes: namely, on the one hand, the cultural and ideological contents that should be associated with the notions of “the right” and “the left” and on the other, the ability of these two concepts to represent the cleavages that currently determine political affiliations and electoral behaviors. Despite the many attempts to answer these questions, the scientific community has reached no agreement on the topic. The essay aims at explaining why none of the approaches that have been adopted so far has been able to attain the proposed intents and highlights the limits of the validity of a “geographical-axial” conception of politics supporting such an oppositional pair.