Horseshoe Theory: Political theory that the far left and far right have similarities
Horseshoe Theory is an idea in political science.
It asserts that the far-right is more similar to the far-left than to the center-right and vice versa. Horseshoe Theory is often used as argument for centrism.
The name Horseshoe Theory comes from the idea that politics is not a straight line from left to right but bent like a horseshoe so that the two ends (the far-left and the far-right) share more similarities with each other than their moderate counterparts.
Philosopher Jean-Pierre Faye invented Horseshoe Theory after observation of Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union's joint invasion of Poland which started World War II.
Criticism
Common criticism of Horseshoe Theory have often stated that politics are more complex than a simple scale between left and right, and many ideas the far-left follows are not followed by the far-right. Because of this, many experts, like Simon Choat, have said that Horseshoe Theory is false.
Related pages
- False equivalence
- Fishhook Theory
References
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