Are you primarily a
System 1 or System 2 Thinker?
There has been a great deal of analysis and speculation regarding why and how people are either theists or atheists. The following article sheds some light on the subject.
People who are more disposed to analytical thinking are less inclined to believe in a deity.
(Comment: a full reading of this blog supports the reality that there probably is not an interventionist deity.)
Now, let's extrapolate into the world of politics. It is well-known that conservatives are much more likely to take religion seriously. With that assumed, what are the differences between liberals and conservatives in their worldviews?
* Being scared can make you more conservative.
* On the other hand, feeling safe and endowed with strength might make you lean a little more liberal than you otherwise would.
* Liberals are less squeamish about looking at yucky stuff like vomit, feces, and blood.
* Conservatives tend to display more ordered thinking patterns, whereas liberals have more "aha" moments.
* Liberals tend to follow the wandering gaze of others more often, while conservative eyes stay more focused on the original subject they're looking at.
* Holding conservative views seems to make people more resistant to change and help them explain inequality.
* Liberal and conservative tastes in music and art are different, too.
* Liberals are more likely to describe themselves as compassionate and optimistic, while conservatives are more likely to say they're people of honor and religion.
* Conservatives believe they have more self-control.
* Liberals and conservatives extend feelings of compassion to different people.
* Politically charged issues may not be as important as personality when it comes to who you vote for, though. Research on Trump supporters suggests they have more in common with Trump's personal and professional values than his political leanings.
* New research from the United Kingdom backs up the idea that our personalities play a big role in determining who we vote for. A study found that voters who were aggressive, angry kids were more likely to distrust the government and lean liberal as adults.
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After reading the links above, I hope you can see why:
Conservatives tend to be nationalists, Progressives tend to be globalists.
Conservatives care less about economic inequality, and the plight of the working poor and the homeless. (Link)
Conservatives tend to support unregulated capitalism, Progressives tend to support more regulation of capitalism.
Conservatives tend to be magical thinkers and Progressives tend to be science-based thinkers.
The Republican party was hijacked by the fundamentalist religious (Link) and the xenophobic, racist alt-right. Ironically, the "Family Values" party is far from such. (Link)
A challenge if you disagree with the above: name one social movement in support of civil/human rights that was initiated and fought for by a conservative political faction anywhere in the modern world. Of course, as a progressive, I hold that the progress of civil/human rights over the centuries is a positive.
