Political Leanings
A recent study suggests that leaning right might, well, make you lean right. I don’t see a copy of the study online, but here’s the abstract:
A prominent metaphor in American politics associates left with liberals and right with conservatives. Three studies investigate the extent to which this metaphor not only shapes how people talk about politics, but how people think about politics. Participants who are oriented to their right report more conservative political attitudes, while those who are oriented toward their left report more liberal attitudes. This supports the notion that spatial metaphor is a key ingredient underlying abstract thinking even for important belief systems.
Via National Affairs.
Yes, we have no free will or judgement or capacity to resist our inclinations through the exercise of reason. We are programed — reason is wired. I had to write this. I have to thank you for this. I have to leave now, though I’d like to stay.Report
@MFarmer, there is a difference between tendencies and hard programming. I think the tendencies are pretty important to take note of as we all like to think our politics are more a product of reasoned decision-making after a careful evaluation of the facts than they are.Report