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Left and Right: The Significance of a Political Distinction (1994)

by Norberto Bobbio

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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344674,686 (3.67)None
Following the collapse of communism and the decline of Marxism, some commentators have claimed that we have reached the 'end of history' and that the distinction between Left and Right can be forgotten. In this book - which was a tremendous success in Italy - Norberto Bobbio challenges these views, arguing that the fundamental political distinction between Left and Right, which has shaped the two centuries since the French Revolution, has continuing relevance today. Bobbio explores the grounds of this elusive distinction and argues that Left and Right are ultimately divided by different attitudes to equality. He carefully defines the nature of equality and inequality in relative rather than absolute terms. Left and Right is a timely and persuasively argued account of the basic parameters of political action and debate in the modern world - parameters which have remained constant despite the pace of social change. The book will be widely read and, as in Italy, it will have an impact far beyond the academic domain.… (more)
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English (3)  Italian (2)  Catalan (1)  All languages (6)
Showing 3 of 3
It’s pretty rare to see a philosopher stumble on low hurdles as frequently as Bobbio does in this book. He asserts that a dichotomous left / right split is the most common way of representing the world because politics is by its nature antagonistic and divided into opposing sides (”just like war”). Then he writes that the choice between left and right is always best characterized by views which set equality against inequality, and further that the dichotomy must be significant because so many people make use of it.

How did it not occur to him that some political issues have nothing to do with equality? That any political movement which draws it strength from such issues immediately deviates from the left / right dyad as he defines it? That democratic politics is not at all like war because each party can antagonize a counter-party on one front while making concessions on others, and parties can form separate alliances on each front? That daily use of left / right language hardly proves its meaningfulness?

If, as he himself admits, a left/right categorization fits some political movements badly, then the best solution may not be to prolong contrived ways of forcing everything into left, right, or ”center”, but to adopt a more nuanced political terminology.
  thcson | Dec 10, 2016 |
Prefazione di Carmine Donzelli
pp. XVII-221
2004 L. 25.172 € 13,00 ISBN 88-7989-858-2
Quarta edizione accresciuta

«Dunque, destra e sinistra esistono ancora? E se esistono ancora e tengono il campo, come si può sostenere che hanno perduto del tutto il loro significato? E se un significato ancora lo hanno, questo significato qual è?».

Parole chiave del nostro linguaggio politico, «destra» e «sinistra» stanno sperimentando una curiosa sorte e una contrastata fortuna. Mai come oggi, la tradizionale distinzione del campo politico viene da più parti contestata, come una contrapposizione che avrebbe ormai fatto il suo tempo e che non avrebbe più alcun senso. Mai come oggi, d’altro canto, la scena politica di gran parte del mondo occidentale – e quella italiana in particolare – è dominata dall’idea di una polarizzazione dello scontro tra due schieramenti contrapposti, che lottano accanitamente l’uno contro l’altro per conquistare la supremazia.
Dunque, destra e sinistra esistono ancora? E se esistono ancora e tengono il campo, come si può sostenere che hanno perduto il loro significato? E se un significato ancora lo hanno, questo significato qual è?
Il libro di Bobbio affronta la questione a partire dal suo più profondo nucleo teorico. L’essenza più intima della distinzione consiste nel diverso atteggiamento che le due parti – il popolo di destra e il popolo di sinistra – sistematicamente mostrano nei confronti dell’idea di eguaglianza. Naturalmente eguaglianza e diseguaglianza sono concetti relativi: né la sinistra pensa che gli uomini siano in tutto eguali, né la destra pensa che essi siano in tutto diseguali. Ma coloro che si proclamano di sinistra danno maggiore importanza, nella loro condotta morale e nella loro iniziativa politica, a ciò che rende gli uomini eguali, o ai modi di ridurre le diseguaglianze; mentre coloro che si proclamano di destra sono convinti che le diseguaglianze siano ineliminabili e che non se ne debba neanche auspicare necessariamente la soppressione.
Il rigore della trattazione dà conto, secondo il classico procedimento dell’autore, delle «ragioni» di entrambi i campi: «non mi domando chi ha ragione e chi ha torto, perché non credo sia di qualche utilità confondere il giudizio storico con le mie opinioni personali. Anche se non faccio mistero, alla fine, di quale sia la mia parte».
Pubblicato per la prima volta nel 1994, venduto in più di 300.000 esemplari, tradotto in 22 lingue, questo libro è diventato ormai un punto obbligato della discussione sulla politica contemporanea. Per un effetto paradossale, con il passare degli anni la sua attualità sembra aumentare piuttosto che diminuire. Questa edizione, pensata in occasione del decennale, esce all’indomani della morte dell’autore, con l’aggiunta di una nota dell’editore, dedicata a L’eredità di Bobbio. ( )
  MareMagnum | Feb 13, 2006 |
in greek
  ymakedonis | Jun 30, 2011 |
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Norberto Bobbioprimary authorall editionscalculated
Cameron, AllanTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Guerardi, SophieTraductionsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Kahn, MosheÜbersetzersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Following the collapse of communism and the decline of Marxism, some commentators have claimed that we have reached the 'end of history' and that the distinction between Left and Right can be forgotten. In this book - which was a tremendous success in Italy - Norberto Bobbio challenges these views, arguing that the fundamental political distinction between Left and Right, which has shaped the two centuries since the French Revolution, has continuing relevance today. Bobbio explores the grounds of this elusive distinction and argues that Left and Right are ultimately divided by different attitudes to equality. He carefully defines the nature of equality and inequality in relative rather than absolute terms. Left and Right is a timely and persuasively argued account of the basic parameters of political action and debate in the modern world - parameters which have remained constant despite the pace of social change. The book will be widely read and, as in Italy, it will have an impact far beyond the academic domain.

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