Putting aside the debates as to whether or not social psychology is less rigorous because it is a soft science, or whether or not it is really science at all, how closely do our political choices mirror our moral code (i.e., our belief system to determine right from wrong)? Granted, because psychology is less exacting than other scientific fields, causation is not as reliable. Also, people have many disagreements when it comes to politics and morality - disagreements that are widespread, strong, and persistent. But if our moral code is rational, won't our political choices be rational as well?
For the most part, political decisions are not based upon factual claims but, instead, emotions. (For proof, look no further than the adage "How do you know a politician is lying? His lips are moving.") Of course, we make decisions every day based on limited factual information. But if our political choices - choices that significantly and severely impact our lives - are typically based on emotion, and our morality is generally linked to our politics, could it be that our moral code is based primarily on emotion? What are the ramifications that the more important decisions affecting our lives are predominantly based upon emotion over reason? Is it any wonder that libertarians, with their unique moral-psychological profile, are outcasts because they generally reach their decisions in the reverse?
FTA: "When it comes to morality, libertarians are often typecast as immoral calculating rationalists who also have a somewhat unseemly hedonistic bent. Now new social science research shows that libertarians are quite moral, just not in the same way that conservatives and liberals are... So what did the study find to be the basis of libertarian moral thinking? It will not surprise Reason readers that the study found that libertarians show (1) stronger endorsement of individual liberty as their foremost guiding principle and correspondingly weaker endorsement of other moral principles, (2) a relatively cerebral as opposed to emotional intellectual style, and (3) lower interdependence and social relatedness."
(You can access the detailed report at Understanding Libertarian Morality: The Psychological Roots of an Individualist Ideology.)
DISCUSS!
Original posting by Braincrave Second Life staff on Nov 6, 2010 at http://www.braincrave.com/viewblog.php?id=373
We all admire beauty, but the mind ultimately must be stimulated for maximum arousal. Longevity in relationships cannot occur without a meeting of the minds. And that is what Braincrave is: a dating venue where minds meet. Learn about the thoughts of your potential match on deeper topics... topics that spawn your own insights around what you think, the choices you make, and the actions you take.
We are a community of men and women who seek beauty and stimulation through our minds. We find ideas, education, and self-improvement sexy. We think intelligence is hot. But Braincrave is more than brains and I.Q. alone. We are curious. We have common sense. We value and offer wisdom. We experiment. We have great imaginations. We devour literacy. We are intellectually honest. We support and encourage each other to be better.
You might be lonely but you aren't alone.
Sep, 2017 update: Although Braincrave resulted in two confirmed marriages, the venture didn't meet financial targets. Rather than updating our outdated code base, we've removed all previous dating profiles and retained the articles that continue to generate interest. Moving to valME.io's platform supports dating profiles (which you are welcome to post) but won't allow typical date-matching functionality (e.g., location proximity, attribute similarity).
The Braincrave.com discussion group on Second Life was a twice-daily intellectual group discussions typically held at 12:00 PM SLT (PST) and 7:00 PM SLT. The discussions took place in Second Life group chat but are no longer formally scheduled or managed. The daily articles were used to encourage the discussions.