One has to be careful about accepting the accuracy of news articles that describe scientific papers, so bear that in mind in my mention of a new paper by "scientists" at UCLA and NYU. Their actual paper in Nature Neuroscience (unavailable online so far) is reported in a joint Chicago Tribune/Los Angeles Times article today . It claims that people's political convictions derive from (you guessed it), differences in biology. "..(A) specific region of the brain's cortex is more sensitive in people who consider themselves liberals than in self-declared conservatives," they advise us.
As as result, liberals (among other things) "are more flexible in their thinking", while conservatives are "more rigid and close-minded."
What do you want to bet that the paper's co-authors, UCLA neurologist Dr. Marco Lacoboni and NYU psychologist David Amodio, would personally consider themselves liberal?
The test group was composed of "college students", so it just has to be objective, right? (There is no mention in the news article about the numbers included in the study group.)
Here is a tip to the media. When you get a story like this that sounds far-fetched, try getting a contrary opinion; in this case, say, from someone like professor of neurosurgery (SUNY) Michael Egnor. At least let a little skepticism escape into the ebullient scientific ether.
As is, we seem to have yet another self-serving bit of ideological propaganda dressed up as "science" and sold to the rubes. And science, of course, cannot be questioned.
Who pays for this stuff, anyhow?
Of course, maybe conservatives should hail the report and adopt it. Then when liberals complain about some conservative policy--like attacking terrorists in Iraq, say, or reducing tax rates--conservatives can reply, "Well, gosh, you don't have to be so nasty about it. It's just that you have your brain reactions to such policies and I have mine. You should learn to be more tolerant."
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