Newton's Third Law

 Newton's Third Law states: "Whenever one object exerts a force on a second object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first." I wonder if this is true of politics. 

In my mind, the global political push to the 'Right' is being met with an equal force from the 'Left,' one force feeding the other. The force of the ideological clash pushes the ideologies further apart. But do these two very different routes lead to the same place?

I'm suggesting two theories here:

1. That the ideological clash causes the divide to expand, each ideology pushing the other further away in equal measure, and;
2. That political division will lead to democracy failing.

On the first count, I think I'm right. The 20th and beginning of the 21st century saw a great deal of liberal reform, for example, the global expansion of universal suffrage, the legalisation of homosexual relations and the widespread secularisation of the mechanisms of government and healthcare. We are now seeing a concerted effort to undo a number of these reforms. In NZ, we are seeing a rise in imperialistic rhetoric, a lack of access to healthcare and the Prime Minister is an Evangelical Christian who believes abortion should be a crime.

In the US, reversal of liberal reforms is even more clear. The Supreme Court is openly religious and education and healthcare policy are also being influenced by religion.

I think the rise in conservatism is occurring in response to previous liberal reform. This is where the second theory starts becoming relevant. Are we going to keep pushing the divide (yes, we absolutely are) and will this lead to a breakdown in democratic institutions?

Let's use the example of Russia: left wing ideology (glory and prosper of the proletariat) led to a brutal totalitarian and authoritarian dictatorship. With the ascent of Gorbachev, the subsequent fall of the Soviet Union and the rise of Yeltsin, we saw the beginnings of modern liberal reform. Then came Putin who has used the Russian Orthodox Church to cement his power, enacted wave after wave of conservative social policy and Russia is once again under the rule of a brutal dictator, only this one uses 'traditional' and 'conservative' (right wing) values to cement his continued grip on power. 

Governance towards the 'Left' and towards the 'Right' both led to the same place: non-democracy, and Putin is only becoming more authoritarian.

What's the solution? Separating the idea of democracy from politics. If we do this, the political divide can grow as wide as it wants without jeopardising democratic norms. This would keep with the idea of a political Newton's Third Law - that continued division will lead to more division - without our institutions bearing the weight of our opposing forces that our divisions create.

However, this solution is impossible to implement. For too many people, democracy is politics. Or, perhaps physics just doesn't belong in the analysis of politics.

References:

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/28/education/bible-schools-classrooms.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/30/health/california-abortion-lawsuit-st-joseph-hospital.html

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedetail/529804/fears-of-privatisation-by-stealth-in-an-overwhelmed-healthcare-system

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/525689/the-crown-is-sovereign-prime-minister-christopher-luxon-says

https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/29-11-2021/the-national-partys-new-conscience

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/11/us/samuel-alito-christianity-law-democracy.html

https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/beginners-guide-to-aeronautics/newtons-laws-of-motion/#newtons-third-law-action-reaction