Thursday, June 23, 2011

MWBOT-15 & 16

Two links related to the subject. The research which shows that few of us know much of anything about politics. When you add in the folks who know something but it's all confirmation bias and minds made up beforehand, perhaps it's all worse than I have been suggesting. Money quote:
“Before you study public opinion, you ask why things aren’t better,” says (Bryan) Caplan. “After you study public opinion, you ask why things aren’t worse.”


Also, a return to Jonathan Haidt's commentary of liberal and conservative morality. I may go into some greater commentary on Haidt, because there remain amazing, even stunning blind spots in his reason, for all that he does see that many liberals miss. But even without my pointing out the pieces he misses, there's a lot of value here.
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1 comment:

  1. Texan9911:50 AM

    Haidt cracks me up. It's nice that he has some glimmers that his peers lack, but he's like a cargo cult member. He sees that conservatives are onto something, and he imagines he knows what it is. All he really knows is how it's shaped, not how it works. He seems to think Democrats can pick it up and "use" it while smugly holding it in contempt. The idea of God being useful but not necessary is typical.

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