Scientific studies show conservatives are shallow thinkers

[Light Craftsman]

http://reverbpress.com/politics/proof-republicans-are-stupid/

The headline is hyperbolic and the articles shows a bit of bias, but the studies' conclusions are evident to anyone who has spent time on FaceBook. I like this part:

Liberals’ brains are biologically more able to handle complex thought, and conservatives base their beliefs on fear.

A recent FB discussion with some of my family members showed this quite clearly. They were going on about how we should stomp out ISIS. I asked them how they would do that, how we could avoid unintended consequences, and why they thought military intervention could work when history has shown us that meddling in foreign countries has almost always turned out poorly. They ignored my questions and replied with statements along the lines of we just need to wipe them out, our borders are porous and terrorists are getting into our country illegally, invading Iraq didn't turn out well because we were't fully committed, and other equally vapid ideas.

In another FB discussion a couple of weeks ago one of my cousins posted praise for Utah reinstating firing squads. When I asked by which philosophical theory people justify the death penalty I was met with hostility and Bible quotes. The rhetoric turned incendiary when I replied that Bronze age mythology is not a philosophical theory. I think I pushed a button.

[GSOgymrat]

Perhaps it is because I am liberal and have mastered "complex thought" that I can recognize this article is complete crap. I'm all for a good rant or good social science but "Conservatives are dumb… it’s a scientific fact" is just silly.

I am puzzled why so many Christians support the death penalty. Q: "What Would Jesus Do?" A: Shoot him in the head... it just doesn't seem very Christ-like to me.

[Light Craftsman]

Well, these are peer-reviewed studies. As I stated, the headline is hyperbolic and the article slanted, but the studies seem to make some good points, especially the last one which looked the the differences in brain structure. I wish I still had access to the original research so I could look at their methodology.

[stromboli]

I would say that people who are conservative are by and large mentally lazy, whether or not that is caused by lack of intelligence. Critical thinking in terms of studying every aspect of an issue instead of buying into an idea based on bias. Having been a member of a highly conservative religion, I know that the encouragement is to rote thinking based on what is taught; the proverbial inside the box  thinking. It is simply easier to follow that line of reasoning in a community full of fellow believers than to examine those beliefs critically.

[Light Craftsman]

I agree. I have met a lot of very smart conservatives. They are very good at rationalizing their ideologies. George Will (whom I have not met) is a prime example.

[stromboli]

George Will is a very good example. I grew up with and later worked with Mormons, some of them very smart. My brother Mark was one very smart man, and a High Priest in the LDS church when he died. I also worked with Mormon and Christian scientists and engineers as a technical editor in the Air Force. Smart people. But in the process of our work, religion simply didn't come up. The ability to compartmentalize and separate one from the other is all part of the thinking process.

[Hydra009]

I would say that people who are conservative are by and large mentally lazy, whether or not that is caused by lack of intelligence.

I don't recall the source, but I remember reading that conservatives are generally more intolerant of ambiguity, which leads them to exhibit black-and-white thinking and to prefer simplistic solutions to problems.

[stromboli]

I don't recall the source, but I remember reading that conservatives are generally more intolerant of ambiguity, which leads them to exhibit black-and-white thinking and to prefer simplistic solutions to problems.

I would definitely agree with that.

[SGOS]

Actually, I've seen articles on at least two other studies, which reinforce this one.  They simply don't paint flattering pictures of conservatives generally.

[GSOgymrat]

Well, these are peer-reviewed studies. As I stated, the headline is hyperbolic and the article slanted, but the studies seem to make some good points, especially the last one which looked the the differences in brain structure. I wish I still had access to the original research so I could look at their methodology.

The article is crap, I don't have enough information to judge the individual studies. A fascinating book about the psychological differences between liberals and conservatives is The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt. Here is a TED Talk he gave about some of the ideas he covers in his book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs41JrnGaxc

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I don't recall the source, but I remember reading that conservatives are generally more intolerant of ambiguity, which leads them to exhibit black-and-white thinking and to prefer simplistic solutions to problems.

So, zero shades of grey?

[SGOS]

I don't recall the source, but I remember reading that conservatives are generally more intolerant of ambiguity, which leads them to exhibit black-and-white thinking and to prefer simplistic solutions to problems.

Nor can they tell the difference between a scholarly treatise and a bumper sticker.

[PopeyesPappy]

Well, these are peer-reviewed studies.

Being published and reviewed holds little meaning if you don't know what the reviewers had to say.

[Light Craftsman]

Being published and reviewed holds little meaning if you don't know what the reviewers had to say.

Then no peer-reviewed study is meaningful, is it? I have not seen any publication include the reviewer's comments when publishing research findings. The meaning comes from reading the published study and determining the quality of the research and findings.

GSOgymrat said:

The article is crap, I don't have enough information to judge the individual studies.

That is the type of shallow thinking I see conservatives exhibit daily. The article, as I said in the OP, is biased. Those of us who studied David Hume base our opinions on research not journalism. Quit obsessing over the article and take the time to click the links it contains. The research is illuminating.

[Draconic Aiur]

http://reverbpress.com/politics/proof-republicans-are-stupid/

The headline is hyperbolic and the articles shows a bit of bias, but the studies' conclusions are evident to anyone who has spent time on FaceBook. I like this part:
A recent FB discussion with some of my family members showed this quite clearly. They were going on about how we should stomp out ISIS. I asked them how they would do that, how we could avoid unintended consequences, and why they thought military intervention could work when history has shown us that meddling in foreign countries has almost always turned out poorly. They ignored my questions and replied with statements along the lines of we just need to wipe them out, our borders are porous and terrorists are getting into our country illegally, invading Iraq didn't turn out well because we were't fully committed, and other equally vapid ideas.

In another FB discussion a couple of weeks ago one of my cousins posted praise for Utah reinstating firing squads. When I asked by which philosophical theory people justify the death penalty I was met with hostility and Bible quotes. The rhetoric turned incendiary when I replied that Bronze age mythology is not a philosophical theory. I think I pushed a button.

no shit sherlock