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I don't think it's realistic or fair to suggest that intelligence can be correlated to where one exists on a liberal/conservative axis. I do think that, as a group, conservatives have become increasingly fixated on engaging in a class and culture war. This often results in those conservatives devoting most of their intelligence, time, and energy to a very limited number of social issues. One of the results is that many conservatives are well-versed in matters involving (other people's) personal behavior, but have very little knowledge of the broader spectrum of public policy issues affecting the country and the world. Thus, they give the impression of being unintelligent when confronted with those issues. Michelle Bachmann is a perfect example of this. She is, by no means, unintelligent. Yet, she is so slavishly and arrogantly devoted to the beliefs that exist in her own personal world, that she seems woefully unequipped to deal with issues such as national defense, constitutional freedoms, international relations, trade deficits, the realities of a global economy, etc.--I think the days of the "intellectual conservatism" of William F. Buckley and others are long gone for American conservatives.
Well said. I agree. The RINO movement, where all sensible, multifaceted have been purged because they were not sufficiently "ideologically pure" has really made the current republican party intellectually vacuous. I actually like guys like Buckley, Dole, and other guys who seemed pretty intellectually oriented.
If the term liberal actually meant what its definition is no one that understands anything about science would ever be one. Ever. Period.
They would be conservatives and maybe even ultra conservatives and they'd look exactly like Marxist.
But then you have to ask, why do liberals oppose Social Darwinism, free markets and the liberation of as many people and ideas as possible? In fact, they're usually trying to regulate and tax as many things as they can find.
But, ask them in the class room about evolution and creationism and they'll never ever back creationism.
So for you liberals you have your ideological blockade totally erect, too.
I'm a little behind the times since it is from a few years ago. A researcher looked at political views and tried to link them to intelligence. It wasn't the case that conservatives in general or Republicans had lower intelligence levels, but social conservatives were shown to have lower levels of intelligence. That would include people who vote based on values and not conservative financial principles.
It's an interesting study. In thinking about the outcome, it does make sense to me. I've challenged social conservatives to debates on several fronts (as I do with people of all political mindsets) and in the end when all of their rationalizations are shot down, it all comes back to emotion as their justification. Perhaps these people have a left side of the brain that is weak and thus dominated by the right.
I'd be interested to see if anyone has found any other studies in similar peer reviewed journals.
They spent all that time and money to prove that social conservatives are stupid? Everyone knows that already. I could have told them that for free.
I'm a little behind the times since it is from a few years ago. A researcher looked at political views and tried to link them to intelligence. It wasn't the case that conservatives in general or Republicans had lower intelligence levels, but social conservatives were shown to have lower levels of intelligence. That would include people who vote based on values and not conservative financial principles.
It's an interesting study. In thinking about the outcome, it does make sense to me. I've challenged social conservatives to debates on several fronts (as I do with people of all political mindsets) and in the end when all of their rationalizations are shot down, it all comes back to emotion as their justification. Perhaps these people have a left side of the brain that is weak and thus dominated by the right.
I'd be interested to see if anyone has found any other studies in similar peer reviewed journals.
I'd bet on it. There is a study from the London School of Economics and Political Science that came to this same general conclusion. Also there is a thread about how liberal and conservatives differ in areas of the brain. ...conservatives big in the lower brain function having to do with fear, liberals in the higher brain function of analyzing conflicting inputs.
You'll find circumstantial evidence of this as well....Only 4% of leading scientists in the USA claim to be "conservatives" or Republicans...whereas as nearly 50% describe themselves as liberal or Democratic Party supporters.
CNN article mentioning the London School of Economics report.
These "findings" are not surprising when one considers that the field has become dominated by 80% Liberals with Conservatives now a new minority, With the "tribal mentality" explained in this article by a reknown expert in BIAS, we can see that getting any other "findings" published would be next to impossible at this point in time.
Till they start to gain a little wealth, then they become conservative because at that point they have to figure out how to manage their money.
See how silly this game is...
It's not a game. It's just a reality of life you can't swallow. To be frank. The Democratic party is composed of the most intelligent voters and the least intelligent voters. The GOP is in the middle thinking how awesome they are.
I've been saying this for years.....Real stupid...you don't vote, or must be cajoled into voting ..Just plain stupid you vote GOP...have some smarts you vote Democrat.
It's not a game. It's just a reality of life you can't swallow. To be frank. The Democratic party is composed of the most intelligent voters and the least intelligent voters. The GOP is in the middle thinking how awesome they are.
I've been saying this for years.....Real stupid...you don't vote, or must be cajoled into voting ..Just plain stupid you vote GOP...have some smarts you vote Democrat.
Right?
What avenue do you rail against that is most likely to give you your socialist Utopia (even though you'll hate every second of it)?
Free markets. You remember your remarks about the race to the bottom? I do, if you don't.
Otherwise, like Joseph Stalin Said:
Quote:
Joseph Stalin
February 9, 1946
It would be wrong to think that the Second World War broke out accidentally, or as a result of blunders committed by certain statesmen, although blunders were certainly committed. As a matter of fact, the war broke out as the inevitable result of the development of world economic and political forces on the basis of present-day monopolistic capitalism. Marxists have more than once stated that the capitalist system of world economy contains the elements of a general crisis and military conflicts, that, in view of that, the development of world capitalism in our times does not proceed smoothly and evenly, but through crises and catastrophic wars. The point is that the uneven development of capitalist countries usually leads, in the course of time, to a sharp disturbance of the equilibrium within the world system of capitalism, and that group of capitalist countries regards itself as being less securely provides with raw materials and markets usually attempts to change the situation and to redistribute "spheres of influence" in its own favor -- by employing armed force. As a result of this, the capitalist world is split into two hostile camps, and war breaks out between them.
The ironic part is that in securing your favorite welfare state (5 of the 8 most expensive programs in the budget are welfare programs equaling 62.5% of the budget), through capitalistic tendencies, Stalin's predictions are apparently coming true.
The final result will be you with $11,200/year (2010 dollars and actually much less because that's the GDP per capita of the planet in 2010 from the C.I.A. World Fact Book). Gasoline at $25.00 gallon. Bread at $10.00 loaf. Water being sold by the gallon at $5.00. Cars and things of that sort will only be in the hands of thw wealthy few that can afford them because they'll have gotten a number of high level degrees.
Ironically they'll hate paying taxes too along with everyone down the line.
You'll have your one world socialist state though. You won.
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