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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Politics rooted in genetics? |
| 2008-02-12 |
| For years, political scientists assumed our political leanings came from the way we were raised and the company we keep. You're a screaming liberal? Must be because you were raised in a household full of screaming liberals. You're an arch conservative? Must be because of that college you went to. But slowly, some political scientists are beginning to change their minds on what shapes our political views. They're starting to wonder whether some of our political identity is rooted in our DNA. The theory goes something like this: Choosing a political point of view involves thinking through issues: Will more lax immigration rules put the U.S. at risk? Will tighter gun-control laws help lower the murder rate? |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #7 It's not genetic. People switch all the time. The left/right different tracks the male/female difference quite nicely. That is not to say that women are liberal and men are conservative. This is about traits, not gender. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2008-02-12 16:18 |
| #6 Just wait till parents start wanting to bioengineer their kids' voting preferences. |
| Posted by: JSU 2008-02-12 14:22 |
| #5 Some people think problems through logically (republicans and libertarians) and others think emotionally (democrats and greens). This is a vast generalization but tends to be true in my experiences. It explains why more youths and women tend democrat and stodgy Anglo-American men trend republican. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-02-12 14:15 |
| #4 Kelly, I presume missing /s tag. Even then, I still not get it. What connects the ... F/[k! There are not even dots to connect! |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2008-02-12 13:15 |
| #3 Hmmmm...perhaps this means that my father in law can be cured if we kill off enough babies |
| Posted by: Kelly 2008-02-12 09:34 |
| #2 Nah P2K, you are completely wrong here. I recall the Nature/Nuture debates of the 1970s. In fact I participated in a bonafide riot on the subject. Even though I knew the Nuturish argument was utter bollocks, throwing rocks at cops proved to be more fun. "We don't have free will, but we have to act as if we do." Quoting myself. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-02-12 09:19 |
| #1 Because if we're all programmed by our dna then there is no human free will thus democracy is not possible. Just another attempt by 'them' to rationalize their abandonment of the concept of rule by the people. The problem for them is, they assume, they're the ones who'll be 'left' in charge. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-02-12 07:12 |