To be perfectly frank, I consider the ability to see shades of grey in social policy as a predominantly liberal mindset. Of course, I’m basing this on a reality which resides strictly in my own head, though I believe it forms an important distinction surrounding baseline political discourse.Â
The liberal mindset presumes its own ignorance regarding the future and therefore meanders freely through any number of crappy ideas in the hopes of stumbling upon something brilliant. This freedom with which to engage in creative solutions is precisely why liberals have such a difficult time sustaining a unified front.
The conservative mindset, on the other hand, is predicated upon the notion that things have somehow gotten off track and must be restored. Such an ideology preserves a highly fabricated and glorified conception of life circa 1950. With a generally detailed belief in the “right†way to do things, developing public policy becomes simply a dichotomous balance between right and wrong.
Obviously I have my own bias in this matter, but I believe liberalism to be an evolutionary step forward in human intellect. This is in no way meant to cast doubt upon conservative intelligence, which anybody can have in abundance, but rather to argue that the ability to think in abstract terms provides a much more fertile ground from which to apply that intelligence. It is my belief, therefore, that the ability to think in abstract terms is a skill that some people choose to develop and others consider basically unnecessary. It is for this reason that the intellectual elite – those with advanced university degrees – are overwhelmingly liberal. And it is for this same reason that children and young adults are so often quite conservative.Â
All of this is a meandering (and vaguely insulting) way of saying that I am incredibly proud to see that this years Presidential Scholars from high schools around the country seized the opportunity to tell the president, in lucid and unambiguous terms, that they do not approve of what he is doing to our country. 'Cuz right now, I could use a dose of optimism for the future.
[1]
Links:
[1] http://www.addtoany.com/share_save?linkurl=http%3A%2F%2Fthehindsightfactor.com%2Fstudents_tell_bush_to_stop_the_madness&linkname=Students%20tell%20Bush%20to%20stop%20the%20madness%21
Comments
Re: Students tell Bush to stop the madness!
Here's the link:
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050228&s=chait022805
The author makes a thoughtful argument that liberalism and conservatism are not parallel, equivalent philosphies. I agree that there are true believers on both sides, who are just the flip side of the coin of the other. But if you look at the broader spectrum, some more fundamantal differences emerge.
For a psychological analysis of differences in liberal and conservative personalities see:
http://psychologytoday.com/articles/index.php?term=pto-20061222-000001&page=1
Re: Students tell Bush to stop the madness!
I think that your musings on the difference between liberals and conservatives is interesting and makes some good points. However, I'm not willing to say that liberals represent an evolutionary step forward in human intellect. (I might think it, but I wouldn't say it out-loud). I know too many conservatives who are very bright and can think in abstract terms as well as anyone. If anything, conservative are the abstract thinkers while liberals think in more concrete terms.
I read an article in which the author imagines God appearing on earth and proving definitively that liberal programs don't work, and that society, especially the poor, are worse off because of them. What would happen? The liberal would rethink his programs, and try to come up with something that worked. Then the same author imagines, what if God coming down and definitively showed that conservative strategies like cutting welfare and de-regulation made society worse off. He says some conservatives would no doubt change their minds, but many would not. Why? Because conservatism, unlike liberalism, is more interested in embracing certain abstract principles -- like a smaller government -- than solving practical social problems.
You could probably write a book on the difference between conservatives and liberals and there have been studies examining personality differences. Liberals tend to be more flexible, less dogmatic and more open to other ideas. Conservatives find support from bedrock immutable principles. Studies show that people who study abroad tend to be more liberal.
I have a conservative friend who chides me for not being willing to say that some people, like bin Laden, are evil people. To him, it's very important to know who is good and who is evil. But, I'm not interested in whether bin Laden is evil or not because the answer to that question will do nothing to help address the threat of terrorism or the resolve the tensions between Muslim countries and the West.
Re: Students tell Bush to stop the madness!
I'd love to get a hold of that article you were talking about, I think it makes a really interesting point, one that seems to jive with the evidence I've seen over my lifetime of wading the political waters. Though to be fair, I find that there are about 20% of people on both sides who just simply will never change their minds, no matter how compelling the evidence to the contrary.Â
Re: Students tell Bush to stop the madness!