Define the Liberal mind as concisely as possible. Define the Conservative mind as concisely as possible.
Please try to ignore stance, and define it in the sense of going through life. In other words, try not to be cynical and assume either side is out to “destroy the world”. Assume that there are good intentions, but different methods, even if you do not feel that is the case. If this is hard to envision, imagine a true and honest friend that happens to be in the opposite camp.
My example which I am sure is weak as I’m no Pol Sci official:
The Liberal mind seeks progress in society through helping society as a whole. The idea is that by helping out your neighbor you are ultimately helping yourself by providing a better world to live in.
The Conservative mind seeks progress in society through direct self betterment and betterment of the immediate family. The idea is that as each member of society seeks to better themselves the world as a whole is a better place to live in.
This is about as succinctly as I can define the two terms. I’m sure I’ll be bashed to death for my incredible naivete, but there it is.
I personally see the immediate benefit and clash that the two views have. If you willingly give it your best to society there may be little left to enjoy for yourself. If you willingly forgo the needs of society you may limit the benefits of synergy.
Explore, but lets keep the hate to a minimum - I’d LOVE to keep this friendly.
Leave it to the dope to do anything but answer a question in which a conservative might be anything but a demon.
Of course I love this answer to an extent because I wouldn’t lump myself into either category.
I hate the answer in a practical sense because I’m sure you realize I am talking about the two ideologies as you see them defined and clearly those aren’t the only two viewpoints available.
You think you’re being clever by avoiding the question, but in reality your wasting post space. Address the actual OP or don’t post.
I think Jonathan Haidt’s argument in the Righteous Mind is pretty persuasive on this topic, AnthonyElite.
Haidt arguesthat political ideologies flow in large part from moral intuitions that consistently differ between conservatives and liberals across cultures.
I think this accounts for a lot of the difference. I also think the other central axis of difference is in view of personal responsibility, and in particular views about the extent to which a person’s outcomes in life are a consequence of his or her decisions.
That’s partly a moral question, but it’s also largely an empirical question.
You want clever? What you are asking us to do is compare one mythological creature to another mythological creature. There is no “Liberal Mind”, nor is there a “Conservative Mind”. What there* is* are a thousand sliding scales on a thousand different topics, each one set somewhere between the two, each and every scale governed by our life experiences, and none of them set in stone.
Right. And I’m asking you to define how YOU currently view these two mythical creatures.
Of course it isn’t set in stone. Is anything, ever? That’s why this is in great debates instead of General Questions. It isn’t grounded in fact, it is grounded in opinion.
Are you trying to whoosh me, or are you that driven to derail any conversation on the subject?
I agree, except that it is not just moral intuitions and personal responsibility. Political orientation is driven by the same kinds of personality and psychological features that drive other behaviors and beliefs. For instance, fear processing distinguishes between conservatives and liberals. This has been evident through cognitive and personality measures, and is now supported by neurobiological (fMRI) measures. Conservatives tend to be more fearful, their amygdalas tend to be overactive in processing info, and their subsequent problem solving is impacted as a result. They generate fewer solutions and are less flexible about them.
This is VERY interesting! I find myself facing that moral conundrum all the time; on other people and myself.
Are the people I judge a victim of circumstance, or their own demons? And myself? Have a risen above my circumstances by my own merits, or have I been fairly lucky in situations where others with the same drive have been stonewalled?
Since I cannot discern with absolute clarity I tend to ride the fence.
Am I the only one notice a small bit of overlap between the two definitions?
Anyway, in discussing the difference between the two philosophies several difficulties arise:
What is called “Liberal” and what is called “Conservative” varies wildly between countries.
How people describe their views don’t always match up with the dictionary definition
How people describe the opposing view almost never matches up with the dictionary definition
If people are conservative on some issues and liberal on other issues, what mindset is being described?
What does this mean? Very few people discern anything with absolute clarity-they just make decisions based on what they know and what they think they no and hope for the best, conservative and liberal alike.
Definitely agree, and I would keep going actually. A lot of actual political disputes have nearly nothing to do with political philosophy and deep-seated personality differences; they are about sincere dispute over empirical facts, social pressures (including religion), self-interest, and other factors. So I think a complete view would have to take into account a lot of different factors.
Maybe agree. I’m skeptical of this, and don’t know enough about the science to evaluate the quality of the studies.
It took me forever to sort this out. What one culture views as conservative another country might see as terrible liberal. The very root of the word is confusing.
For instance, to me, the ability to have an abortion is conservative: I conserve my right to abort.
The prevention of an abortion is liberal. The benefit of society forgo’s the individual right.
But that isn’t how the world and parties discuss it! Took me YEARS to understand that one.
Although you speak of “mindset” rather than “brain” there are studies showing differences, that correlate with political alignment, in brain structure and on responses to simple psychological tests. A Wikipedia article might be a starting point to explore that question. (I’ve linked to a specific version of that Wiki article since Edit Wars may be active on that page. )
I fear aligning with either party because of the foam-at-the-mouth demonizing of the other side. I don’t want to ally with either to make a change because I feel one side ultimately seeks to eradicate the other. Instead I make a moral decision regarding each issue, issue to issue. Because of this an outsider may view me as indecisive, but to me I view the party hardy’s as making a quick decision to avoid a tough question.
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