The war is all in our heads
When we start to consider why people are drawn to different sides of the political and theological spectrum, the biological question cannot be ignored. University studies suggest that liberals are more receptive to new ideas and information while conservatives value a more bunker-like adhesion to traditional values and beliefs because of the more active, larger regions of the brain associated with these differing viewpoints.
In one article about these studies, it was posited that "We found that greater liberalism was associated with increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas greater conservatism was associated with increased volume of the right amygdala." and "Our findings are consistent with the proposal that political orientation is associated with psychological processes for managing fear and uncertainty."
Time Magazine - Does the difference lie in the brain?
Discover Magazine - The cognitive neuroscience of Liberals and Conservatives
These studies suggest the evidence is mounting in favor of the theory that ideological battle lines are indeed drawn along the anatomical fault lines of the human psyche. It's a wide chasm of different world views, and both sides take different approaches to dealing with it.
As their very labels suggest, Progressives want to "progress" forward, and Conservatives want to pull back to a perceived better time or "conserve" what they feel is best about America. Even the word "compromise" seems to have negative and positive connotations for the the two sides. Depending on which side of the chasm you're standing on, "compromise" will either be a hopeful objective or a dirty word, hence attempts by the Liberals to compromise, or "bridge" this chasm are met with formidable resistance by Conservatives. They sabotage Liberals' efforts to foster progress and Liberals become increasingly frustrated as they continue to try to get them to go against their own biological clockwork. As evidence of this position, I offer a Conservative blog post that outlines what "compromise" means to the hardline Conservative:
American Thinker - Why Liberals love compromise
It's apparent that the rhetoric from both sides highlight their own biases in the most inflammatory manner possible. The Right paints the Left as "out-of-touch, ivory tower intellectual, godless atheist heathens who are determined to subvert good, honest Christian families to communism/socialism/marxism, stealing their hard earned wages for lobster dinners for the homeless and forced abortions for all" and the Left paints the Right as "Gun-toting, anti-intellectual, warhawk rednecks who want to quash scientific and social progress and would only settle for a totalitarian, theocratic, end-time based regime if they can't bring about total Armageddon, praise Jesus".
It's tough to find the truth between these harsh characterizations, but two (admittedly Liberal) artists have attempted to bridge this gap with an infographic outlining (in as non-inflammatory words as possible) the ideological differences between the Left and Right:
Left vs. Right World
They used input from often heated discussions from Conservatives to make it as fair to both sides as possible. I'm not sure if the most recent version is Conservative-approved, but from my standpoint, I think they've done a very fair job of delineating the different world views: Left vs. Right v 1.5
Although I've mainly concentrated on the political ramifications of the differences of Liberal/Conservative brain structure in this post, it's pertinent to note the theological ramifications as well. More American Conservatives identify themselves as being religious (notably Christian of varying denominations), while many Liberals hold religious views, more identify themselves as atheist "Freethinkers" than Conservatives would by far. Viewed in this context of biological differences it becomes apparent that Liberals (if the studies are true, being more well equipped "brain-wise" to manage fear and uncertainty) would be more apt to question religious dogma and reject it entirely for a more naturalistic world view. Unfortunately, this earns them the dubious title of "godless heathen intellectual" and the stigma of being viewed with fear and loathing by Conservative Christians.
So we really have two major fronts of differences, fought simultaneously. In the old adage, "Never discuss politics or religion", our ancestors knew intimately how these two hot spots of conviction could cause brothers as well as strangers to draw blood, so it's little wonder that there's a simmering cauldron of hostility in America today as these twin fires are stoked by both sides, with ever increasing advertising budgets.
It's getting ugly out there, but I believe there's hope.
No matter how daunting the current political landscape may be, as a Progressive I work for a better future for my children. With the advent of the internet and the now torrential flow of information and ideas, I believe that light dispels darkness, and that's why love, truth, logic and reason will triumph over hatred, blind allegiance and smear campaigns. History tells us there will probably be quite a few casualties along the way, but consider the history of Progressivism:
Wikipedia - Progressivism in the United States
Regulation of large monopolies, trust busting, child labor and minimum wage laws, organized labor, national parks, wildlife refugees and reclamation, social safety nets such as Social Security and now movement toward affordable health care are some of the major achievements won by Progressives. For all the media saturation and political grandstanding by the Koch brothers and Conservative pundits pushing hatred and fear on AM talk radio and Fox News, it's more apparent every day that Progressive ideals are winning and more people are starting to embrace logic and reason over superstition and magical thinking than ever before. Neuroscience is starting to suggest some new strategies:
Daniel Pink - Right Brain Thinking for 21st Century Success
Of course, there will always be those that fear change and long for a rose-colored memory of previous eras, but I think that our hope and salvation as a nation and a species lie within the elastic brains of each new generation. I believe the only bridge that will ever span the chasm between our anterior cingulate cortex and our right amygdala will be the one paved with love, understanding and critical thought.
To quote one of my favorite forward-thinking writers: "Sure, I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one".
In one article about these studies, it was posited that "We found that greater liberalism was associated with increased gray matter volume in the anterior cingulate cortex, whereas greater conservatism was associated with increased volume of the right amygdala." and "Our findings are consistent with the proposal that political orientation is associated with psychological processes for managing fear and uncertainty."
Time Magazine - Does the difference lie in the brain?
Discover Magazine - The cognitive neuroscience of Liberals and Conservatives
These studies suggest the evidence is mounting in favor of the theory that ideological battle lines are indeed drawn along the anatomical fault lines of the human psyche. It's a wide chasm of different world views, and both sides take different approaches to dealing with it.
As their very labels suggest, Progressives want to "progress" forward, and Conservatives want to pull back to a perceived better time or "conserve" what they feel is best about America. Even the word "compromise" seems to have negative and positive connotations for the the two sides. Depending on which side of the chasm you're standing on, "compromise" will either be a hopeful objective or a dirty word, hence attempts by the Liberals to compromise, or "bridge" this chasm are met with formidable resistance by Conservatives. They sabotage Liberals' efforts to foster progress and Liberals become increasingly frustrated as they continue to try to get them to go against their own biological clockwork. As evidence of this position, I offer a Conservative blog post that outlines what "compromise" means to the hardline Conservative:
American Thinker - Why Liberals love compromise
It's apparent that the rhetoric from both sides highlight their own biases in the most inflammatory manner possible. The Right paints the Left as "out-of-touch, ivory tower intellectual, godless atheist heathens who are determined to subvert good, honest Christian families to communism/socialism/marxism, stealing their hard earned wages for lobster dinners for the homeless and forced abortions for all" and the Left paints the Right as "Gun-toting, anti-intellectual, warhawk rednecks who want to quash scientific and social progress and would only settle for a totalitarian, theocratic, end-time based regime if they can't bring about total Armageddon, praise Jesus".
It's tough to find the truth between these harsh characterizations, but two (admittedly Liberal) artists have attempted to bridge this gap with an infographic outlining (in as non-inflammatory words as possible) the ideological differences between the Left and Right:
Left vs. Right World
They used input from often heated discussions from Conservatives to make it as fair to both sides as possible. I'm not sure if the most recent version is Conservative-approved, but from my standpoint, I think they've done a very fair job of delineating the different world views: Left vs. Right v 1.5
Although I've mainly concentrated on the political ramifications of the differences of Liberal/Conservative brain structure in this post, it's pertinent to note the theological ramifications as well. More American Conservatives identify themselves as being religious (notably Christian of varying denominations), while many Liberals hold religious views, more identify themselves as atheist "Freethinkers" than Conservatives would by far. Viewed in this context of biological differences it becomes apparent that Liberals (if the studies are true, being more well equipped "brain-wise" to manage fear and uncertainty) would be more apt to question religious dogma and reject it entirely for a more naturalistic world view. Unfortunately, this earns them the dubious title of "godless heathen intellectual" and the stigma of being viewed with fear and loathing by Conservative Christians.
So we really have two major fronts of differences, fought simultaneously. In the old adage, "Never discuss politics or religion", our ancestors knew intimately how these two hot spots of conviction could cause brothers as well as strangers to draw blood, so it's little wonder that there's a simmering cauldron of hostility in America today as these twin fires are stoked by both sides, with ever increasing advertising budgets.
It's getting ugly out there, but I believe there's hope.
No matter how daunting the current political landscape may be, as a Progressive I work for a better future for my children. With the advent of the internet and the now torrential flow of information and ideas, I believe that light dispels darkness, and that's why love, truth, logic and reason will triumph over hatred, blind allegiance and smear campaigns. History tells us there will probably be quite a few casualties along the way, but consider the history of Progressivism:
Wikipedia - Progressivism in the United States
Regulation of large monopolies, trust busting, child labor and minimum wage laws, organized labor, national parks, wildlife refugees and reclamation, social safety nets such as Social Security and now movement toward affordable health care are some of the major achievements won by Progressives. For all the media saturation and political grandstanding by the Koch brothers and Conservative pundits pushing hatred and fear on AM talk radio and Fox News, it's more apparent every day that Progressive ideals are winning and more people are starting to embrace logic and reason over superstition and magical thinking than ever before. Neuroscience is starting to suggest some new strategies:
Daniel Pink - Right Brain Thinking for 21st Century Success
Of course, there will always be those that fear change and long for a rose-colored memory of previous eras, but I think that our hope and salvation as a nation and a species lie within the elastic brains of each new generation. I believe the only bridge that will ever span the chasm between our anterior cingulate cortex and our right amygdala will be the one paved with love, understanding and critical thought.
To quote one of my favorite forward-thinking writers: "Sure, I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one".