Are Liberals Smarter? Yes!

Heisenberg wrote: [ I really can't imagine a flaming liberal scientist coming to a conclusion that conservatives are smarter no matter what evidence he was to find. That's just the way people are... everyone thinks they know more than the other guy and some how to take that extra racist-like step and try to prove it. How about we just assume that people are individuals and not somehow part of some collective brain. You, nor any scientist out there knows what I've learned in my life or what I'm capable of achieving. But you keep painting if it helps to make you feel superior (I'm sure you need it).

FredHayek wrote: I thought the Left was all let's come together and get things done. And here we get a thread, "You conservatives are idiots". Nice peacemaking.

Science Chic wrote: I haven't read the study so I can't comment on whether their experimental design corrected for bias or not, and was a truly random, representative sample, but they are measuring things that are subjective so must be taken with a grain of salt. Plus, the way it was presented here is a slant.

The authors predicted that a lower cognitive ability, as measured by the subject’s intelligence quotient or I.Q., would lead to greater social prejudice in adulthood. The authors also hypothesized beforehand that the social prejudice would lead the subjects to endorse “right-wing ideologies”, namely “social conservatism” and “right-wing authoritarianism.”

I would say that it's not a surprise that having a lower IQ leads to greater social prejudice, but that social prejudice leads subjects to endorse "right-wing ideologies" is touchy - conservatism historically hasn't always meant being socially prejudiced in this country or else the Democrats have some explaining to do about their stance during the Civil War and after.

If the author of this piece wrote this exactly as the study author intended, then this statement has a claim that I disagree with: "The lead author, Dr. Gordon Hodson, believes that the results are cyclical: people with lower I.Q.’s tend to be more prejudiced, which leads them more readily toward conservatism, which is resistant to change, which eventually, leads to more prejudice."

Have they measured that being conservative is more resistant to change, and how so? That is a variable that must be accounted for before forming that conclusion or it could render null the results. I would argue that liberals are just as resistant to change - it is a human trait, not necessarily one that segregates with one political ideology over another.

Unfortunately, the studies are subscription access or pay-per-view
http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/20 ... 6.abstract

The second "study" cited isn't really a study: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012 ... dies-show/

ProCon.org has gathered 13 peer-reviewed studies of behavioral and neurological studies and come to the conclusion that differences between Republicans and Democrats are more than skin-deep.

(ProCon.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity that has no government affiliations of any kind. Our purpose is to provide resources for critical thinking and to educate without bias. We do not express opinions on our research projects ("issue websites").)

Appelbaum the studies are not representative of all Republicans or Democrats, given that researchers are weaving different small studies together to draw conclusions, and several different opinions designate whether someone is liberal or conservative. He also said someone’s brain makeup doesn’t necessarily predispose that person to think one way or another politically, calling it a “chicken or the egg issue.” In fact, it’s possible that a person’s political thinking can change their physiological traits.

One of the studies "gathered" is this one: Liberals are more open-minded and creative whereas conservatives are more orderly and better organized. I could easily twist it to make it negative for one group or the other, but in actuality it merely shows that we are different, not better or worse than the other, just different. And approach problems and life from different perspectives - that's a good thing, it leads to greater diversity hence stronger evolutionary adaptability and likelihood of survival.

I dislike attempts to divide us more - we have serious issues facing us as a species and we need to use our differences to come to creative, effective, efficient solutions, not use them to dismiss each other and bicker more.

akilina wrote: Now considering the poster who posted this, they forgot to include him in their IQ study which would have dragged down the liberal score drastically.

Raees wrote:

akilina wrote: Now considering the poster who posted this, they forgot to include him in their IQ study which would have dragged down the liberal score drastically.

Weren't you one of the ones who was complaining about how everybody resorts to personal attacks on here? I see you're keeping it classy.

Raees wrote: I got your drift when you walked into the room. Oops. There I go again.

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