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Basically it argues that conservatives and liberals are exhibiting the same two psychologies you see evolved in nature in animals, where some are aggressive and prone to fight, while others are docile and pacifistic. Like in nature, it says each psychology is an evolved mental program designed to maximize reproduction if there are lots of resources, or insufficient resources.
It is interesting, because anybody who argues politics knows there is no arguing with ideologues on either end of the spectrum. Conservatives will always assume the world is dangerous, there aren't enough resources, and some even dream about how they will survive the chaos, when the whole thing comes down - something of which they are sure. Likewise, liberals always see a world where there are plenty of resources for everyone to be happy, and where fighting is rarely necessary for the normal person. If ideology grows out of a deeper assumption about the world based on what people are designed to operate in, or what they have seen, then this would explain that. It would also explain why violent interludes like Sept 11th made so many people shift toward Bush, at least for a while.
I wonder if you began a political debate by first arguing to agreement on exactly what the world you inhabit is like (violent/peaceful, full of resources/short of resources), if you could then bring ideologues closer together.
This just proves that CPAC doesn't understand evolutionary biology. Something we all knew already.
R and k selection strategies refer to reproduction - specifically, which organisms produce many offspring and invest little parental care and which produce few organisms and invest a lot of parental care. It's a statistical and analytic tool, and has nothing to do with psychology. This paper lays no foundation for making that leap, it's just blather.
Here's a talk by a real biologist that includes a critique of evolutionary psychology.
Conservatives will always assume the world is dangerous, there aren't enough resources, and some even dream about how they will survive the chaos, when the whole thing comes down - something of which they are sure. Likewise, liberals always see a world where there are plenty of resources for everyone to be happy, and where fighting is rarely necessary for the normal person.
This analysis is a bit simplistic. Liberals are also willing to fight, as long as its for liberal causes. Take, for example, recent controversies re widespread allegations of excessive force by police. Liberals have hardly been passive about that.
This just proves that CPAC doesn't understand evolutionary biology. Something we all knew already.
R and k selection strategies refer to reproduction - specifically, which organisms produce many offspring and invest little parental care and which produce few organisms and invest a lot of parental care. It's a statistical and analytic tool, and has nothing to do with psychology. This paper lays no foundation for making that leap, it's just blather.
Here's a talk by a real biologist that includes a critique of evolutionary psychology.
Exactly. Sounds like the CPAC folks are using it in a different way. I really have to wonder how many evolutionary biologists would be hanging around CPAC anyway.
Exactly. Sounds like the CPAC folks are using it in a different way. I really have to wonder how many evolutionary biologists would be hanging around CPAC anyway.
About zero would be my guess.
But I posted the citation to Pharyngula, may see some action there.
This analysis is a bit simplistic. Liberals are also willing to fight, as long as its for liberal causes. Take, for example, recent controversies re widespread allegations of excessive force by police. Liberals have hardly been passive about that.
Correct, they also legislate any ideas or beliefs that do not align with their own.
Gay marriage
Minimum wage
Illegals
Taxing the rich
Anything wealth distribution related
On and on and on and on ad nauseam
When it gets right to it: MOST people are a mix of conservative and liberal. Few are 100 percent 1 way or the other.
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