The Mathematical Delusion: Unveiling the Logical Roots of the Left

 

The Mathematical Delusion: Unveiling the Logical Roots of the Left

The concepts of "Left" and "Right" originated during the French Revolution of 1789, where seating arrangements in the National Assembly—radicals on the left and moderates on the right—birthed a political spectrum that persists today. However, the true essence of the Left is deeply rooted in the Enlightenment and the rise of Rationalism. This movement sought to "mathematize" the world, believing that human society, ethics, and politics could be solved with the same precision as physical equations.

Rationalism rests on three pillars: the uniqueness of truth, its universality, and its transmissibility. Early thinkers like Spinoza argued that if math is a gift from God, it must apply to human affairs, not just nature. This birthed the "New Priests" of intellect who believed they could "fix" the world's machinery. Interestingly, while these thinkers championed logic, many were mediocre at math themselves, often overextending scientific concepts into social engineering where they did not belong.

A critical evolution of the Left involves the transition from "Rationalism" to "Universal Suffrage." Early reformers like Sieyès believed only those with "reason" (often tied to property and taxes) should vote. However, the Girondins later pushed for universal suffrage, influenced not just by logic but by "Mesmerism"—a pseudo-scientific belief in a universal harmony where every individual is a vital "magnet" in the social body. This extreme push for equality over individual liberty remains the core identifier of the Left. Whether it is the Social Democrats of Europe or the more radical incarnations like the Jacobins (precursors to Communism), the priority is always placed on absolute equality. This "mathematical" obsession with making everyone the same often ignores reality, leading to disastrous social experiments when these ideologies gain dictatorial power. True political "Rightism" prioritizes liberty and organic social structures over the forced, calculated equality of the Left.