Why Liberals have more on the ball than conservatives. - Page 2 - U.S. Politics Online: A Political Discussion Forum

Mrs. M · #16 (**permalink**) 09-26-2007

Quote:

THE REPUBLICAN FISHERMAN
A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost.
She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above a ground elevation of 2346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be a Republican." "I am," replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist,"everything you told me is technically correct, but I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Democrat."
"I am," replied the balloonist."How did you know?"
"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you're going. You've risen to where you are, due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise that you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but, somehow, now it's my fault."

gem · #17 (**permalink**) 09-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by metalted

and when liberals become conservatives maybe its because they get tired of the rigorous mental workout it takes to some how support thier positions.

Thank you, MetalTed, for confirming my long-held suspicions that the main problem with the conservative method of problem solving is to take the shortest and easiest route to dealing with complex situations. That way they don't have to work so hard.

Gem

Si modo · #18 (**permalink**) 09-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by gem

Thank you, MetalTed, for confirming my long-held suspicions that the main problem with the conservative method of problem solving is to take the shortest and easiest route to dealing with complex situations. That way they don't have to work so hard.

Gem

You certainly are not the ambassador those in your party or those who share your ideals (which appear to be solely partisan at this point) are hoping for. Go team!

drgoodtrips · #19 (**permalink**) 09-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by gem

Thank you, MetalTed, for confirming my long-held suspicions that the main problem with the conservative method of problem solving is to take the shortest and easiest route to dealing with complex situations. That way they don't have to work so hard.

Gem

lol... one could easily argue that the shortest, easiest route is often the best solution to any problem, simple or complex. I believe Ockham weighed in on the matter at one point.

And (while I consider myself neither 'liberal' nor 'conservative'), I'd have to point out that the opposite of this (I guess, 'liberal' by your strange analysis) would be taking the longest, most circuitous route to solving the simplest problems. All the more funny, since that's generally what a right-wing nutter would say about a lefty - you walked right into it

drgoodtrips · #20 (**permalink**) 09-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by metalted

and when liberals become conservatives maybe its because they get tired of the rigorous mental workout it takes to some how support thier positions.

Are you saying that people come to agree with you when they get tired of thinking?

drgoodtrips · #21 (**permalink**) 09-26-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by htperr6565

wow i never knew that liberal and conservative was genetic.

I think, in most cases, it's passed on from parents, like religious belief.

Quote:

I would argue, that both 'sides' (and sides here is really a figment of our imagination) have their share of capable and flexible 'deep' thinkers, and both sides have their share of short sighted, spew my ideology because i like it type thinkers.

Spot on, I'd say...

gem · #22 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by drgoodtrips

lol... one could easily argue that the shortest, easiest route is often the best solution to any problem, simple or complex. I believe Ockham weighed in on the matter at one point.

And (while I consider myself neither 'liberal' nor 'conservative'), I'd have to point out that the opposite of this (I guess, 'liberal' by your strange analysis) would be taking the longest, most circuitous route to solving the simplest problems. All the more funny, since that's generally what a right-wing nutter would say about a lefty - you walked right into it

Walked right into it? Hardly. I think you forget the main caveat of Occam's Razor- and that is that the simplest answer that explains, addresses or answers all the relevant issues is the best solution. Forget that caveat and you miss the boat. And those that are able to grasp all the relevant issues to a problem are the one's that will come up with the most comprehensive conclusions and make the best and wisest decisions.

Gem

metalted · #23 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by drgoodtrips

Are you saying that people come to agree with you when they get tired of thinking?

I think leftists will come up with any sort of convolted logic to avoid taking the percieved commonly held position. Its a rebellion of reason. and to support the rebel position they will believe anything so long as it is outside the norm.

drgoodtrips · #24 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by gem

Walked right into it? Hardly. I think you forget the main caveat of Occam's Razor- and that is that the simplest answer that explains, addresses or answers all the relevant issues is the best solution. Forget that caveat and you miss the boat. And those that are able to grasp all the relevant issues to a problem are the one's that will come up with the most comprehensive conclusions and make the best and wisest decisions.

Gem

Do you always make things up when it suits you?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ockham

Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem

or

Quote:

Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate

which translates to

Quote:

Entities should not be multiplied beyond necessity

which can be paraphrased as

Quote:

All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the right one

Ockham's entire point is that when two solutions/predictions yield the same outcome, the simpler one is generally better or more logical. There are no "caveats" - that's just something you made up.

And, even if there were a caveat, it doesn't alter the fact that proposing a convoluted solution where a simple one exists is silly. Of course, ted's sentiment to which you were replying, was equally silly, but that just goes to show that vacuous partisanship tends to produce nonsense from whichever side it originates.

drgoodtrips · #25 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by metalted

I think leftists will come up with any sort of convolted logic to avoid taking the percieved commonly held position. Its a rebellion of reason. and to support the rebel position they will believe anything so long as it is outside the norm.

What "commonly held position"? What are you talking about?

Captain Trips · #26 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by gem

Here's an article that might explain why conservatives and liberals cannot see eye to eye.

Well, that explain at least two things:

(1) Why liberals tend to take a little longer to reach their conclusions- they're more willing and capable of looking at a situation and conflict from more than one angle.

And...

(2) Liberals are able to process information a lot more accurately and are quite a bit more likely to to come to the most correct conclusions.

Might be a lot of truth to that. Maybe that's the primary reason conservatives hate liberals- because the brains of liberals use more brain cells and think in a far more all-encompassing and complex and manner when dealing with a conflict and, for that reason, are essentially wiser and effectively more intelligent than conservatives and can come to more competent conclusions and answers and conservatives deeply resent coming in second to liberals in those respects.

Sometimes it might be a good thing to "know your place", according to what this study is indicating.

Gem

Yeah, liberals are smart. Conservatives are NOT smart. This is nothing new you're telling us.

Americano · #27 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by htperr6565
wow i never knew that liberal and conservative was genetic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by drgoodtrips

I think, in most cases, it's passed on from parents, like religious belief.

I agree with that assessment, and like that initial influence IMO a majority of people seldom intellectually stray far from peer groups which are generally composed of similar socioeconomic backgrounds including religion, education, vocation and ideological opinions. The herd instinct.

White Rabbit · #28 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007

Yes, in the USA in particular, party affiliation is passed down from parent to child along with religious affiliation - at roughly the same statistical percentage - and these figures are the highest in the western world (in the 80% to 90% range).

The comparable figures for Canada (for example) is 60% for religion and down to 40% for political party (same as parents). It is to be noted that Canada has one of the lowest rates of corelation with parents for religion and political party. Most European nations are somewhere between the US and Canadian extremes here.

metalted · #29 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by drgoodtrips

What "commonly held position"? What are you talking about?

they want to disagree with thegovernment position at all costs regardless what it is.

White Rabbit · #30 (**permalink**) 09-27-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by metalted

they want to disagree with thegovernment position at all costs regardless what it is.

How do 'liberals' possibly survive in countries other than the USA where the government itself is usually quite liberal?

Must be rather weird seeing all those foreign liberals disagreeing and protesting against their own government's liberal policies.

Just last week in fact, there was a big march up here in Canada against our universal healthcare system - apparently Canadian liberals couldn't help themselves and just had to protest against such a horrifically socialist phenomena.

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