Society/Culture Why do less intelligent people gravitate to conservative/right wing ideology.

[Mofra]

The Daily Mail article reports upon a study by Gordon Hodson, a psychologist at Brock University in Ontario, Canada. (another Canadian Academic Psychologist but without a youtube presence). He looked at data from 2 UK studies testing child development. The subjects were
(a) 4,267 boys and 4,537 girls born in 1958;
(b) 3,412 boys and 3,658 girls born in 1970.

The tests were of
(c) verbal and non verbal intelligence; and
(d) cognitive abilities (number recall, shape-drawing tasks, defining words and identifying patterns and similarities among words).

In both surveys, 23 years later, the same groups were asked to answer a series of questions about traditions, authority and attitudes toward other races. Hodson then postulated a definition of conservatism which is undefined but looks to be based upon attitudes towards Authority and other races and concluded that low-intelligence adults tend to gravitate toward socially conservtive ideologies.

I’d very cautious about accepting the conclusions drawn by Grin and his gaggle of applauders from the article helpfully posted by Mofra

So would I.

Here's a meta-analysis that's far more wide ranging.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/55893129.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwiZksKNiq38AhWmwjgGHVyFAdQQFnoECC0QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2xHhvNmp4MW8yHxMsywA_c

There is a significant body of work on the subject. Assuming the entire concept is based off a single study is folly.

 

[evolved2]

Don’t they worship Sky Wizards or something?

Some do, just as some lefties do.

 

[kickazz]

Speaking of the link between right wingers and intelligence, recently watched the film The Zone of Interest.

It’s about the family life of the Auschwitz camp Commander Rudolf Hoss. It’s stunning because of the juxtaposition between the cozy family life in a beautiful garden and an orderly house, which is situated right next to one of the walls of the concentration camp. So you see the family going on picnics and playing in the garden while in the background you listen to the rumble of the crematoria and occasional gunshots and screams

One of the things that stood out was that Hoss and his family, especially his wife, just aren’t that smart. They actually wanted a quiet life on a farm and kind of see the processing of the Jews in the camp almost like a form of agricultural production. They have full and limited conversation, never questioning what they are doing. It’s an amazing example of a stunted imagination.

Why earn your position in society when you can attain and preserve it by force?

 

[peetoo]

Speaking of the link between right wingers and intelligence, recently watched the film The Zone of Interest.

It’s about the family life of the Auschwitz camp Commander Rudolf Hoss. It’s stunning because of the juxtaposition between the cozy family life in a beautiful garden and an orderly house, which is situated right next to one of the walls of the concentration camp. So you see the family going on picnics and playing in the garden while in the background you listen to the rumble of the crematoria and occasional gunshots and screams

One of the things that stood out was that Hoss and his family, especially his wife, just aren’t that smart. They actually wanted a quiet life on a farm and kind of see the processing of the Jews in the camp almost like a form of agricultural production. They have full and limited conversation, never questioning what they are doing. It’s an amazing example of a stunted imagination.

Hoss was the guy who fessed up to the atrocities carried our while the nazi top brass wriggled trying to escape their fate?

Not that Hoss was any role model by any stretch

 

[ShanDog]

Anti-science is mostly a right wing thing.

Definitely not as simple as that. Trust in science is influenced by a few things, such as religious or spiritual beliefs, personality traits, single-issue stances and of course political viewpoint (which is also a product of those things).

The right wing Christian young-earther is just as anti-science as the blue-haired progressive atheist who buys crystals to maintain their harmonic balance.

 

[Chief]

Some do, just as some lefties do.

Yeah but the kooky left is a lot further left of the normy left than the kooky right is right of the normy right.

 

[ShanDog]

I mean, it's really a HIV vs AIDS argument at this point... You still don't want either at all.

 

[ElectricG]

Definitely not as simple as that. Trust in science is influenced by a few things, such as religious or spiritual beliefs, personality traits, single-issue stances and of course political viewpoint (which is also a product of those things).

The right wing Christian young-earther is just as anti-science as the blue-haired progressive atheist who buys crystals to maintain their harmonic balance.

I don't really reckon these people exist in any significant number. The whole crystals-have-special-properties thing seems to be more for apolitical bimbos.

 

[Gethelred]

Definitely not as simple as that. Trust in science is influenced by a few things, such as religious or spiritual beliefs, personality traits, single-issue stances and of course political viewpoint (which is also a product of those things).

The right wing Christian young-earther is just as anti-science as the blue-haired progressive atheist who buys crystals to maintain their harmonic balance.

While a true statement, there's far more Christian flat earthers than there are people who buy crystals to maintain their harmonic balance, blue haired or not.

Edit: seems ElectricG beat me to it!

When you get to the bottom of it, the people who are rather silly on the left - your anti-science reiki wielding hippies or what have you - aren't going out and trying to achieve political power. Can you say the same for their anti-science counterparts on the right, Shan?

 

[Chief]

I mean, it's really a HIV vs AIDS argument at this point... You still don't want either at all.

The mainstream right wing party is far closer to the hard right than anybody should be comfortable with, and doesn't look like changing that I can see.

 

[Ghost Patrol]

Definitely not as simple as that. Trust in science is influenced by a few things, such as religious or spiritual beliefs, personality traits, single-issue stances and of course political viewpoint (which is also a product of those things).

The right wing Christian young-earther is just as anti-science as the blue-haired progressive atheist who buys crystals to maintain their harmonic balance.

Conservative politicians versus Nimbin hippies.

They are both the same!

 

[ShanDog]

When you get to the bottom of it, the people who are rather silly on the left - your anti-science reiki wielding hippies or what have you - aren't going out and trying to achieve political power. Can you say the same for their anti-science counterparts on the right, Shan?

Probably correct, but that's rather besides the point.

 

[ShanDog]

I don't really reckon these people exist in any significant number. The whole crystals-have-special-properties thing seems to be more for apolitical bimbos.

Reckon your social media algorithm just doesn't show it to you! But you could be right, I've no idea of the numbers. We do know that general spirituality has fairly consistently grown as a proportion of people who have some sort of faith though.

 

[Gethelred]

Probably correct, but that's rather besides the point.

Not really.

When people kept their ideas to themselves, it's one thing; when they desire political power and seek their ideas implemented they spreads those ideas around, good or bad. It's how we got Neoliberalism and the Chicago school of economics; untested, unproven ideas that suited the upper classes, and they dominated the world despite having no real evidence or models to support them.

 

[Ghost Patrol]

Reckon your social media algorithm just doesn't show it to you! But you could be right, I've no idea of the numbers. We do know that general spirituality has fairly consistently grown as a proportion of people who have some sort of faith though.

Why would an algorithm that feeds off your cookies be serving you an abundance of blue haired crystal hippies?

 

[barreness]

Idk if you can just say anti or pro science, so many disciplines and use cases.
Newtonian physics when you need the Quantum stuff, Economics and Psychology are very non falsifiable, engineers vs ecologists, anti trans proponents are always bring up biology, Astrology does actually track planetary movement, IQ tests, myers briggs, phrenology, eugenics

Interdisciplinary fights are often along political or moral lines

 

[ShanDog]

Not really.

When people kept their ideas to themselves, it's one thing; when they desire political power and seek their ideas implemented they spreads those ideas around, good or bad. It's how we got Neoliberalism and the Chicago school of economics; untested, unproven ideas that suited the upper classes, and they dominated the world despite having no real evidence or models to support them.

That's another conversation. I responded to a simple statement about anti-science being the domain of the right wing.

 

[ShanDog]

Why would an algorithm that feeds off your cookies be serving you an abundance of blue haired crystal hippies?

It's a bit more Inception than that - the algorithm feeds me people who make fun of blue haired crystal lovers

Seriously though, beliefs in alternative medicines and therapies is quite a huge market, and something that many people subscribe to.

 

[Ghost Patrol]

It's a bit more Inception than that - the algorithm feeds me people who make fun of blue haired crystal lovers

Seriously though, beliefs in alternative medicines and therapies is quite a huge market, and something that many people subscribe to.

The only alternative medicine I have seen on social media is ivermectin lol

Is the blue hair crystals more an instagram thing? I rarely venture there.

 

[nut]

What about AI? Which way will AI gravitate….

 

[peetoo]

What about AI? Which way will AI gravitate….

Well the limited ai so far has tended right.

Why do less intelligent AI gravitate right?

 

[Blue1980]

The fact that so many progressives here think they're more intelligent goes to show they really aren't!

Those who understand measures of average and variance know.

So the fact you consider yourself smarter is proof that you aren’t?

What conservative ideals do you like? Taxing the rich less?

 

[Blue1980]

I don't really reckon these people exist in any significant number. The whole crystals-have-special-properties thing seems to be more for apolitical bimbos.

Or be anti vaxxer conspiracy theorists

 

[Blue1980]

It's a bit more Inception than that - the algorithm feeds me people who make fun of blue haired crystal lovers

Seriously though, beliefs in alternative medicines and therapies is quite a huge market, and something that many people subscribe to.

Regardless, these people are irrelevant to political discourse.

 

[ShanDog]

Regardless, these people are irrelevant to political discourse.

I think that's a bit naive to say - interests usually overlap. Even if they didn't, and the example "group" I mentioned operated in a completely apolitical bubble, the original statement was wrong and worth correcting for the sake of accuracy in a conversation already loaded with sweeping generalisations.

 

[evolved2]

So the fact you consider yourself smarter is proof that you aren’t?

The mean IQ difference between progressives and conservatives isn't huge, and the spread of IQ away from the mean ensures many progressives are less intelligent than even the average conservative.

If it's just a troll, fair enough. If nearly every progressive posting here thinks they're more intelligent than conservatives, they clearly overestimate their own abilities. That's almost a statistical certainty unless you think SRP posters are far more intelligent than the general public.

What conservative ideals do you like? Taxing the rich less?

Fiscal conservatism and some aspects of social conservatism too. Not all 'progress' is good.