Isn't it true that conservatives base their facts on their own opinions. While liberals base their opinions...

Question

.... on objective, verifiable facts ?

Ev, it's similar but slightly different from my last question. I'm just trying to be absolutely sure about something.

Answer 1

No. Both Liberals and Conservatives based their views on what they see was important; on core values, if you will. All decisions one makes in life is based, ultimately, on emotion. For instance, Liberals look at how much the rich have and have little the poor have. They see that as unfair. Fairness is based completely on emotion. Without emotion, you would see Rich have what they have and the poor have what they have and you couldn't make any judgment about it. Without emotion, why is it fair that the Rich have more than the poor? Why does it matter who has what? One can try to look at the matter objectively by saying that those with more stuff live longer, so everyone should have more stuff, because living longer is better. But this pushes emotion into it. Why is living longer better? One can just as easily make a colder calculation that it is better for people to live shorter lives, so that their health problems don't visit themselves on the young and on society. But life means something to us and we can't just make that calculation. But that value we place on life is based on emotion.

On the other hand, conservatives ultimately base their views on emotion as well. But what makes them emotional is something completely different. Some are driven by religious reasons (as are some liberals, incidentally). God means so much to them that they base their values and lives and views and opinions on what he thinks (or they think he thinks). Homosexuality is bad because God thinks homosexuality is bad. Although I think that this problem conservatives have with homosexuality is based more on an emotional feeling they have in their gut when they think about it. It's yucky. Because the conservatives think it is yucky, they say God thinks homosexuality is wrong.

Conservatives are often conservatives, because they don't like change. They like the way things are now. Why? Because change sucks. One can get used to a new paradigm, but it's that sinking feeling of the unknown that really scares people. If homosexuals can marry, what's that mean for the future??? I don't know, but let's not find out. Right? It's that "I don't know" that's the problem.

Let's take Global Warming. Let's say we are responsible for Global Warming. Let's say it will change the world significantly. Will it kill off humanity? No. So what's the problem? It probably won't kill us specifically. Will it cost money? Yeah. But mostly for our grandchildren, so why do we care? So we'll lose a few islands and a few species and some trees? But many people will lose everything. And many people will spend a lot of money. And a lot of species and trees and so forth will be lost. And we care about those things. Why? Because, ultimately, we have an emotional response when we think about the consequences.

When we buy a new outfit at the store, we think about what kind of person we want to portray with our outfit. Why do we care about what kind of person we want to portray? It's more than just looking our best to keep the source of money coming in. We want to be sexy. We want to be liked. We want to be respected. All of these things are based on emotion. All of these things produce an emotional response. Politics is no different.

I should also say that recent studies back me up.

As such, opinions are based on emotion and not objective, verifiable facts. What is more important in the struggle regarding Global Warming: species or jobs today? How you answer the question depends on how you feel about it. And that word "feel" indicates you have an emotional response. And it goes for both sides.

Answer 2

And this rant promotes useful and significant discourse? Me thinks the pot doth call the kettle black. Ask a real looking question and that i will furnish you a real looking answer based on the data as I understand them. Foam out the mouth in a protracted winded diatribe mutually as denigrating others and you'd be dealt with like a typical troll. Edit: Checkmate? precisely the place did I present my perspectives on something to you in this placed up. i'm a conservative loose industry capitalist and continuously have been. You pay attention? Your best problem right this is which you communicate approximately wanting undemanding debate mutually as enticing in baseless supposition approximately others and making use of standards to them which they have not professed. this is the suited in closed minded habit buddy. have faith me you do no longer make your case or triumphing something right here, you're purely making your self look stupid.

Answer 3

I'm pretty liberal, but I can't buy this generalization. I think a conservative and a liberal of equal intelligence will both do about the same amount of selectively reading and distorting facts and statistics to support their opinions.

Answer 4

No, they both sometimes base their values on some verifiable facts and on some opinions.

For example, how "verifiable" is it that our Founding Fathers wanted not only a "wall of separation between church and state," but that they also would be quite pleased with how the Supreme Court has been deciding issues such as school prayer? That is, how much of the Court's school prayer decision in 1962 was a fulfillment of liberals' opinions rather than on "verifiable" knowledge of how our Forefathers would have thought of that issue?

Answer 5

I consider myself a liberal, and I base my opinions on what I see going on around me, what I read and what I hear on the media. I realize that you can't base your beliefs on one source either. I try to look at things from many viewpoints, and I want statistics and other documentation to back up the claims some people make. Finally, I decide what is right or wrong within the dictates of my own conscience, not just on what some political party or evangelist is telling me. In fact, I don't necessarily adhere to one political party or the other. I don't agree at this point with anything the Republican party stands for.

Answer 6

No. If you want to know an even handed scoop on how liberals and conservatives think check out one of George Lakoff's books. Conservatives think like an old fashioned "man of the house" parent whose job is to keep his family in line and protect them, while liberals look at things like a nurturing parent that sees the importance of looking at context and details as they help their children through the hurdles of life. This take on how each group thinks explains a lot about why certain issues are conservative ones and others liberal. As he explains a bit more about how this works it becomes VERY useful.

Answer 7

No - what is true is there are idiots on both sides of the spectrum - and intelligent rational people with different values on both sides of the spectrum.
Questions like this put you in the former group - strive to be in the latter. It may not always be acknowledged but I guarantee you it is more rewarding.

Answer 8

What is actually factual is; conservatives believe in the "trickle down" economy, theory - you know, the large corporations get to grow bigger and bigger, and the "peoples" salary gets to grow smaller and smaller.
Liberals listen to the people, try to create a balance in government, e.g., spending and taxes - programs and results, and serve for the betterment of our nation, not just for the richest in America.

Answer 9

Liberals get their facts from Pulitzer Prize-winning news organizations and neocons get their "facts" from the New York Post and Sean Hannity. I guess that's why liberals win debates against neocons.

Answer 10

No it is not true Conservatives do value life's experiences more perhaps but you are generalizing which you are all too quick to critize myself and others for doing.