Are people genetically predisposed to be conservative or liberal?

Question

Both sides are beating their drums and clanging their cymbals as loudly as they can, but they aren't changing anyone's mind on the other side.

Could it be more than the opposition simply refusing to hear your views? Maybe they CAN'T hear what you say.

Perhaps fundamental parts of how we reason are genetically coded, and there is variability in the 'reasoning genes' throughout the human population. Most people's 'logical wiring' works similarly, thus the idea of 'common sense'. But there are smaller groups whose reasoning works differently. Arguments that make 'natural sense' to one such group could literally be gibberish to another.

This could explain the remarkable endurance of certain conflicts, and why certain groups, like pro-life and pro-choice, seem to be permanently enmeshed in arguments with no seeming resolution.

The good news is we have higher facilities of reasoning, and can overcome our flawed programming through education and intellectual honesty.

* Doc L - I appreciate your appeal to civility.
* ibid - what bias would that be?
* nickolassc - separated identical twin studies have been done. The lives of such twins, even when raised in completely different circumstances, sometimes have striking parallels. Coincidence? Maybe, but the idea that genetics may influence your basic outlook and your major life decisions is intriguing.
* Andromeda - I will have to read your opinions in more depth.
* gradjasan - your analysis is correct, but it still leaves open the possibility of underlying genetic predispositions.
* Joseph, II - I like your honest answer!
* Home-School - my journey was the opposite: raised conservative, switched to liberal, and am now shedding the baggage of both.
* John JoeShmoe, tony a, Bumper Crop - I said 'different', which you misread as 'inferior'. The belief that others are inferior because they are different is a root attitude of racism and bigotry.

Answer 1

I think we're all "predisposed" to be- Independent. But once we start getting "hit" by all the influences of our lives- our Parents; Schooling; Faiths; Media; Economic Circumstances- etc., -We all tend to end up getting shoved to the "Left" or "Right" or- whatever. In Reality; being Independent (as we all start out as), is probably the BEST position to be in- because it means that you're open-minded enough to judge an issue from BOTH sides of the spectrum. And that well-balanced approach, usually weeds out most of the worst choices on EITHER side of the political fence.

Answer 2

No at least not for conservatives which seems to be a dieing breed in politicians in power. While liberalism seems to be growing at a steady rate. Maybe because believing and following conservatism is a lot harder thing to do. Believing in self reliance over government reliance. But kids today are bombarded by not only liberal parents but by school teachers who teach Political correctness as a doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical way of thinking as far as I'm concerned, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a peice of dog do by the clean end.

Answer 3

I would disagree with this statement. Your reasoning does make some sense though.

However, I believe the major reason for sustained conflicts has more to do with the fact that there is rarely such a thing as a clear-cut right/wrong answer. Both sides in an argument usually have reasoning behind them. Humans need at least some logic in anything they believe. It doesn't have to be resolute, no-room-for-questions airtight reasoning (especially because that is rare and we would literally lose our minds if we required that level of reasoning), but some is needed.

But that is at least part of the problem. We basically come up with arguments for both sides in a conflict (usually we do this within ourselves) and find the conflict cannot be resolved unless we attribute more weight to this or less weight to that.

The situation of course here is with various upbringings, experience, environment, parental/societal influences and so on and so forth; we attribute different weights to different arguments. For example the pro life/choice debate. A woman who has been held down and treated as lesser at some point in her life is probably more likely to listen to the argument that it is "the woman's body" and therefore her right to choose what happens to it. She has lost that right in the past and wants to be more sure it will be protected in the future.

On the other hand, a man who has not had to deal with the pain of childbirth, who has not had to worry about having to raise a child on his own, who has not had to deal with parents being disappointed in him (sometimes violently so) because he doesn't have to tell anyone or can run anytime he likes is less likely to heed that argument. In reality, the man can leave anytime he wants--whether he chooses to stay or he chooses to go he did get to make the choice and is therefore usually better able to handle the consequences either way. He doesn't feel as forced to handle them, he chooses to do so.

Because of this he is more likely to be able to ignore the consequences a woman would have to face (since he doesn't "have to" face them) and would focus more on the loss of life.

Both knew the same arguments but attributed different weights to the arguments and came up with the opposing conclusions. Which means that you can't really overcome with improved education because they both got the education; they just valued it differently and chose to ignore or be influenced by differing parts of that education.

Answer 4

I think you would have to do a study of identical twins separated at birth and raised in opposite households to get an idea of this.

I'm guessing that doesn't happen a lot so it might be kind of difficult.

It's a good idea though, and certainly interesting.

I believe behaviours are mostly nutured as opposed to nature. Especially when you are newborn-5 that is when your brain really develops significantly.

Answer 5

I changed from liberal in my college days to Conservative now that I have kids of my own. It appears not to be genetic. Many people change. My parents changed from Conservative to liberal when they started to believe the Social security lies the Democrats tell. If it was genetic, people wouldn't change viewpoints. I think it has more to do with Erickson's stages of development.

IDENTITY COHESION VS. ROLE CONFUSION
12 - 18 YEARS

INTIMACY VS. ISOLATION
18 - 35 YEARS

GENERATIVITY VS. ISOLATION
35 - 55 YEARS

EGO INTEGRITY VS. DESPAIR
55 + YEARS

Political tendencies seem to fit these development pathways

Answer 6

Yes they are.
Since IQ depends on genetics, usually high IQ people tend to be conservative.
487 of the 500 most important CEOs said they are conservative.
Since adaptation and ability to compete are highly affected by genetics, and people with those attributes are usually republicans, once again, they are predisposed to be conservative.
Remember, liberals just try to work less and get the same amount of money that the one that works does.

Answer 7

Excellent question!

It is the morbid feminisation of culture that has resulted in the current poverty of debate. Left on their own, people are naturally "right-wing" and conservative.

Liberal values is the current orthodoxy but that is only a fashion of thinking that is now coming up to its sell-by date ....

I hope people will join my philosophy groups to discuss precisely this question!

Answer 8

wew are all predisposed to be conservative, wanting to be free and survive etc, But enviromental conditions change that. Maybe a person was dropped as a baby,exposed to drugs or chemicals in the womb, studies have shown that crack babies are 99.8 percent liberal the rest go full blown commie.
we be careful with our children they could develop the defect at anytime

Answer 9

You already showed your bias but to add on, I think you might be right with some extremists who can't fashion their opinions based on their surroundings

Answer 10

Well, if that's true, then there's no point in asking our opinions on the question, is there?

You've probably already made up your mind based on genetic disposition.

*smirk*