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Agnosticsherbet

(11,619 posts)
Wed Feb 17, 2016, 11:15 AM Feb 2016

When it comes to politics, you’re not as rational as you think

When it comes to politics, you’re not as rational as you think
“People think that they think like scientists,” said Professor Peter Ditto, who studies human judgment and decision making at UC Irvine. “But really they think like lawyers.”

“Scientists don't care what the answer is: they look at the data and draw a conclusion,” said Ditto. “Lawyers know the conclusion they want to reach, then they harness a bunch of facts to support that conclusion.”

And this, said Ditto, is how we construct our political facts, whether we realize we’re doing it or not.

I've noticed both the right and left use their own subset of facts and science to make their arguments, while calling the opposite side irrational.
This is an article that should lead to introspection.
6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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When it comes to politics, you’re not as rational as you think (Original Post) Agnosticsherbet Feb 2016 OP
Yeah, we all do that habitually. bemildred Feb 2016 #1
Enjoy being wrong sometimes, and appreciate having to apologize bhikkhu Feb 2016 #2
Very few people are as rational as they think about anything. hobbit709 Feb 2016 #3
Conservatives are motivated by fear and liberals are not. alarimer Feb 2016 #4
What's the motivation behind not wanting no regulation, free markets at all costs? The2ndWheel Feb 2016 #5
Perfect example of the OP... TipTok Feb 2016 #6

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
1. Yeah, we all do that habitually.
Wed Feb 17, 2016, 11:26 AM
Feb 2016

The primary use we put our intellect to is justifying what the little monkey inside wants to do now, and figuring out how to get it. The little scientist is the second one. The first one is how politics works.

bhikkhu

(10,711 posts)
2. Enjoy being wrong sometimes, and appreciate having to apologize
Wed Feb 17, 2016, 11:26 AM
Feb 2016

I remember when I was younger I hated both and my mind would turn and twist and race to avoid them. At some point (20's) I learned how to say the words, and realized that when I was wrong that meant I learned something; not much point to life if you are going to go through it without ever learning anything.

alarimer

(16,245 posts)
4. Conservatives are motivated by fear and liberals are not.
Wed Feb 17, 2016, 11:48 AM
Feb 2016

I reject authoritarianism automatically. There is no good argument for it at all. If that makes me irrational, so be it. I happen to think that liberal or progressive values, because of their attempt to raise everyone up, is the more rational choice. And in fact, it is supported by historical fact. We have done the no-regulation, free-markets at all costs before. What we got was child labor. And 7-day work weeks. The labor movement gave us the weekend.

I don't think there are ANY good arguments for ANY conservative positions. At least I've never heard any. It's all bullshit that I reject automatically because it is cruel and heartless. I'm also done trying to persuade any of them to my position. After all, you can't teach a pig to sing. It won't work and it'll just annoy the pig.

The2ndWheel

(7,947 posts)
5. What's the motivation behind not wanting no regulation, free markets at all costs?
Wed Feb 17, 2016, 12:06 PM
Feb 2016

The fear of having no regulation, free markets at all costs. And isn't rejecting anything automatically sort of reactionary?

Politics are subjective, and that's what the article is saying. Existence encompasses everything, so anyone can see whatever it is they want to see. With politics, you certainly wouldn't be choosing the wrong or dumb side, as that would make you wrong or dumb, which is why the side that you choose is always right, smart, and rational, while the other side is the opposite of all that.

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