Diverse criteria distinguish between the two visions of life. The Right defends the status quo and is defined as conservative or reactionary. Right believes in the superiority of its cultural heritage. Right defends traditions, the past and the nation, and as a consequence, militarism, individualism and more recently anti-Communism.

The Left, reformist or revolutionary, stands for emancipation from the chains of the past, libertarianism and innovation. For example, emancipation from the binds of organized religion. Though not universally true, especially in Europe religion is generally considered Right and atheism, Left (symbolically the good are seated on the right of G...

Diverse criteria distinguish between the two visions of life. The Right defends the status quo and is defined as conservative or reactionary. Right believes in the superiority of its cultural heritage. Right defends traditions, the past and the nation, and as a consequence, militarism, individualism and more recently anti-Communism.

The Left, reformist or revolutionary, stands for emancipation from the chains of the past, libertarianism and innovation. For example, emancipation from the binds of organized religion. Though not universally true, especially in Europe religion is generally considered Right and atheism, Left (symbolically the good are seated on the right of God; the evil on His left).
[...]
Though not every social-political view can be classified as Right or Left, Left as a rule tends toward everything that strives for equality among men; Right tends toward inequality. Or, expressed more forcefully, Right favors forms of hierarchies dividing men.

This distinction on the issue of equality is clear, uncompromising and on target.
[...]
Some political philosophers like to describe the basic dichotomy between the two with the categories Progressive and Conservative. Those common words are not satisfactory. The words recall Sartre’s empty box; Right can be progressive on certain limited themes, while Left to achieve and maintain political power easily becomes conservative as seen in the Left of America’s Democratic Party or often in European Socialism. Again, the extreme Right of Nazism and Stalinism used the word Socialist freely and, in the end, created parodies of socialist states.
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America’s Republican and Democratic parties stand comfortably shoulder to shoulder on the Right, bolstered by religious extremists and a myriad of secret militias -- those in the woods and those abroad like Blackwater -- and the usual flag-waving patriots.