I’ve run across these terms several times, but without enough context to figure out what they mean. Could someone help me out, please?

ETA All of you are amazing! A huge thank you to everyone who responded, and an extra thank you to those who have provided links or explanations to further and/or related information. I am learning so much by reading all of these comments!

    • FaceDeer@kbin.social
      121·
      1 year ago

      I suppose it’s always possible to believe in a benevolent dictator who will use their authority to establish whatever system it is that you think is “best”, even if it’s not authoritarian. Lots of revolutions try that.

    • tempest@lemmy.ca
      9·
      1 year ago

      I don’t see why not since progressive leftist describes where their beliefs lie and authoritarianism describes how they go about enforcing their beliefs.

      Really depends on how specific you want to be with the definition of leftist though.

      • IchNichtenLichten@server1.duluth.lol
        22·
        1 year ago

        Sure, I guess I equate a desire to be subject to an authoritarian, strongman type leader as something that appeals more to people on the right. We’re a diverse and messy species though so there’s likely someone, somewhere who will be the exception that proves the rule.

    • Neato@kbin.social
      3·
      1 year ago

      From wikipedia:

      Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy as a whole[1][2][3][4] or certain social hierarchies.[5]

      According to emeritus professor of economics Barry Clark, supporters of left-wing politics “claim that human development flourishes when individuals engage in cooperative, mutually respectful relations that can thrive only when excessive differences in status, power, and wealth are eliminated.”[6]

      So maybe? If you had a truly benevolent dictator that promoted equality, freedom (limited to everything except changing nature of government) and prosperity for all then that might fit? But in the real world, not effectively.

      • IchNichtenLichten@server1.duluth.lol
        1·
        1 year ago

        I’ve seen plenty of people start off with good intentions and then they change when they get a taste of power.

        “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority; still more when you superadd the tendency of the certainty of corruption by authority.” - Lord Acton.

    • 0235@lemmy.world
      42·
      1 year ago

      Environmental change activists? They have pretty authoritarian views on certain subjects, even if they are more “liberal” and alternative views?