re: #544 Obdicut

They’re not actually meaningful terms, no. The policies currently held by the Democrats on many subjects were once held by the GOP— very recently, ten years ago, forty years ago— and yet the Democrats are still said to be on the ‘left’ and the GOP on the ‘right’.

Maybe they are not meaningful in regards to the US two party system (which can have many reasons or explanations — I offer that the GOP is extreme right-wing and the Democrats are moderate right-wing and that the actual Left does not have any meaningful party representation in the USA). But your initial statement was much more general than that. But no, they are in general meaningful.

“left” and “right” are never actually defined. They’re used as though they are, but they have no actual definition.

Errr. That’s a different question (whether they are defined is not the same as whether they are meaningful). But it’s still incorrect. They are defined in several contexts and traditions.