There are many similarities in the beliefs and values portrayed Einstein in his essay and those of the liberals or the left wings. The two parties believe in economic equality where individuals get to enjoy the same fruits of their labor as those who have for a long time taken advantage of the laws to get a larger share than those with no power. This is a value seen in the left wing of the political spectrum and Einstein says in his essay that capitalist society is the source of evil where some individuals are busy trying to deprive other people the collective outcome of their labor. This is done through legislative means that makes production of consumer and capital goods private possessions of some selfish individuals.
The other common value is the need for a decentralized government that will help reduce the political hold of the few individuals who use power to manipulate the citizens and make them work hard only to take all the credit from a collective hard work. The other similarity in their beliefs come from Einstein’s’ belief that one should be able to make their own independent choices especially in regards to the education system. The society has put pressure on the children to work hard and instilled the belief of a competitive environment where the child cannot grow up to enjoy the freedom of his or her labor, but to keep on competing with others. This is what the liberals’ terms as the need for Unrestrained Personal Freedom where a personal has the freedom to make personal choices without the interference of the ‘’powerful’’ in the society (Bender & Leone, 1986).
Both parties advocate for the freedom of workers in the work place where they have the democracy to make their own choices without the constant fear of losing their jobs. Einstein claims that workers are in constant fear of being disposed off by the owners of the capital who have total control over them. This is the case with the liberals who belief that works should exercise their rights in the workplace (Heywood, 1992).
The two parties share a lot in common especially with their assumptions that equality and socialism can help improve the lives of the citizens by giving them economic independence that will help them make independent choices. They assume that the society shape the life of a person and therefore those in power should not manipulate the people to bend to their whims. They assume that economical freedom of the workers can do a lot to liberate the citizen. The other priori they share is on the influence of human experience on the development of an individual. A person grows up to follow the path he or she knew as they grew up and this is difficult to change. I agree with them in the aspects of making individual choices especially in education and political freedoms. Manipulation of the individual begins when he or she is born by the environment around him. The economic empowerment of a few people in the society only serves to make them politically powerful and give them a chance to manipulate others (Rejai, 1995).
Hitler believed it was his duty as a believer in the Catholic Church that it was his duty to drive the Jews out of Germany just as Jesus Christ did when he drove people out of the temple. This shows how he took matters into his own hands and used the scriptures to make decisions. This is the case in the right wing or the conservatives who belief in the scripture and mysticism to guide them to achieve their natural rights as given by God. The other similarity is on how the conservatives work on protecting their interest’s especially political and economic empowerments. This is the case for Hitler who believed in fighting to preserve the environment that guarantees their existence (Taylor, 2013). This is similar because the two parties have a desire to fight back against any force that threatens the privileges they enjoy. Hitler believed in a strong police force that would fight for him to ensure that he got rid of the Jews in his country.
The same thing is seen in the conservatives who believe in a strong police and military to help protect them from the threat of those who want to fight for their rights. Hitler says that those people who give in to him and surrender their territory have no rights and they end up becoming his possessions because they do not have the power to fight back for what is rightfully theirs. This is seen in how the conservatives try to protect their economic and political privileges from the liberals because they believe that they have more rights as compared to the other citizens. This comes from belief that those fighting for equality did not have these things before and therefore have no rights to demand for them now. The two parties believe in absolute authority over the citizens who have no power to make any decisions and have to follow orders this can be either through manipulation or by use of force (Wilkins, 2002).
The assumptions evident in the two parties are that man has to do all he can to preserve himself even if it means stepping on other people’s toes. They use the scriptures to justify their arguments. Hitler claims that he had a duty to eradicate the Jews from Germany just as Jesus did and that this was his duty. The teachings from the church form the basis of their arguments and most of the times those under their ruler ship believe in them. I agree with their belief that human beings have to fight to preserve their existence, but this does not apply to overlooking the rights of others.
References
Bender, D. L., & Leone, B. (1986). The Political spectrum: opposing viewpoints (Rev. 2nd ed.). St. Paul, Minn.: Greenhaven Press.
Heywood, A. (1992). Political ideologies: an introduction. New York: St. Martin's Press.
Rejai, M. (1995). Political ideologies a comparative approach (2nd ed.). Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe.
Taylor, M. (2013). Extreme right wing political violence and terrorism. New York: Continuum International Pub. Group.
Wilkins, D. E. (2002). American Indian politics and the American political system. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
