Yup. Taking a complex, multidimensional space of ideas and beliefs (and by multidimensional I mean something like 100+ dimensions, not 3 or 4) and projecting it into a number line is one of the things that bewilder me about the world the most. Doubly so in countries that don't have a two-party system like the US.

And if anything, I think that this classical projected political spectrum isn't a line, it's really a circle. Extreme left and extreme right are the same thing; the particulars of the beliefs don't matter (if you think they do, you can always imagine this being a flat strip of paper glued into a Möbius strip).

> And if anything, I think that this classical projected political spectrum isn't a line, it's really a circle. Extreme left and extreme right are the same thing; the particulars of the beliefs don't matter (if you think they do, you can always imagine this being a flat strip of paper glued into a Möbius strip).

It's not just you - this is named "Horseshoe Theory".

I suggest you check out the political compass. It’s a reliable indicator of political pref over time. We used it a lot in my public policy grad program