I am curious about the extent to which answers to the following questions track partisan ideology. Please answer the following yes/no questions and tabulate the number of “yes” answers. Then click the poll option that corresponds to your number and whether you generally identify with the left or right in your country.
[ol]
[li]Do you believe the average person’s position in life is mostly a product of his or her choices?[/li][li]On hearing someone else describe a political or moral problem, are you more likely to think they are making too complicated rather than oversimplifying it?[/li][li]Assuming it had no other consequences, if you could save the life of your young child by causing the painless death of two random unknown people in another country, would you do it?[/li][li]Assuming it had no other consequences, if you could save the life of two random unknown people in another country by burning a U.S. flag worth $20, would you choose NOT to burn the flag?[/li][li]Are some sexual practices between consenting adults wrong?[/li][/ol]
However, questions one and five were tough. A person’s place in life is largely due to his own actions. I just had to stop short of saying “mostly.”
And…well…some really extreme sex acts, like those involving asphyxiation, are wrong. But that’s so far out into oddball territory, I pretty much had to say, no, there aren’t any really worthwhile examples of acts between consenting adults I can point to as wrong.
It’s difficult to provide a simple yes or no for 1 and 3. Definitely 1 can’t be that answered that simply, and 3 I just don’t feel like working out the answer to a hypothetical involving my own child.
A couple of issues: First, in the poll, even numbers are impossible if you follow the directions. Also, I think a better version of #3 is “should you do it?” Because the answer to that is “no” IMO, but I’m sure I would anyway.
Anyway, 3-Left, and we can call me a liberal.
I answered yes to 1, 3, and 5, but the questions as asked make it difficult to include nuance. For example, I believe 99.9999% of sexual practices between consenting adults is none of my business, so not “wrong” in any meaningful sense as far as I’m concerned. However, there are possible situations where consenting adults could agree to some horrible mutilation, for example, that I would consider wrong. Make up your own scenario. Chopping off someone’s limb, whatever. That is such an outlier that I think I’m probably for all practical purposes a “no” for #5.
“Mostly” a product of one’s choices and “position in life” are also something that requires qualifications that the question doesn’t really allow for. And a yes to 3 is immoral, I’ll admit, but I’m being honest in how I’d likely act.
I’m generally libertarian conservative.
ETA: Yikes! I just read SpoilerVirgin’s cite, so there’s a real example if you’re looking for one.
I would be very curious to know who said yes to four of them but identifies as “left.” Smapti, maybe?
Do you say that because you find it difficult to quantify and therefore hard to say whether “mostly” fits? Or, as Stratocaster mentioned, do you think the terms are too indefinite?
Hmm. Yes, maybe should is better. Why are even numbers impossible?
The former I guess. I don’t think it’s simple enough to apply ‘mostly’. If you had been more indefinite in that, maybe using ‘largely’ or ‘significantly’ instead, then I would have been able to answer ‘yes’.
ISTM most people would say largely or significantly. The divide I have seen is that many conservatives believe choices account for the vast majority of it.
“Do you believe the average person’s position in life is mostly a product of his or her choices?” No, it’s mostly circumstances of birth, including those that determine one’s choices.
“On hearing someone else describe a political or moral problem, are you more likely to think they are making [it] too complicated rather than oversimplifying it?” No, that rarely happens, unless it’s a personal action decision.
“Assuming it had no other consequences, if you could save the life of your young child by causing the painless death of two random unknown people in another country, would you do it?” Yes, probably.
“Assuming it had no other consequences, if you could save the life of two random unknown people in another country by burning a U.S. flag worth $20, would you choose NOT to burn the flag?” Goddamit, you couldn’t just phrase this normally, could you? “No” to the question, answered “yes” in the poll.
“Are some sexual practices between consenting adults wrong?” Assuming we really mean competent adults, I still say yes - specifically those guaranteed to drag others in unwilling.
I just wanted to share my thoughts I why I could answer yes on #5 about the consenting adults.
Just to avoid any hot-button issues I’ll use alcohol as an example. From a legal standpoint, I have no intention of telling you if/when/what/how much to drink in your own home as long as you’re the only one affected. Knock yourself out. But the Bible does say “Do not get drunk on wine.” So there you are. Some people think this bars all drinking, but it’s at least wrong to get drunk. I don’t intend to do it myself and won’t encourage you to, but Lord knows I have my share of other wrong things that I do anyway. It’s not my place to tell you what to do.
Also, I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that adultery is pretty obviously wrong unless there are three adults consenting…
No. I think the circumstances of ones birth play at least as much as their choices.
No, I think most people over simplify.
Absolutely yes. Sorry, two random people, I will always choose my child. Hell, I would choose my child over two people I know.
No. I can’t imagine anyone saying yes.
Yes, because I believe adultery is wrong. And by adultery I mean actually cheating when the person’s spouse is unaware and would be against it. I don’t mean open relationships.
I may have misunderstood. I thought we were doing +1s and -1s for each question, then adding up the result (so 4 Nos and 1 Yes would be 3-left, which is where I wound up). I guess instead it’s … what is it? I’m still confused.
One of them was a complete mis-vote by me and can be ignored.
See, I didn’t assume that ;). That disturbing German incident was enough for me to say yes on that one.
I similarly had a hard time with the choices vs. circumstances question. Because I can posit over 50% choice. But really I think the percentage would vary from individual to individual.
