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DCWoody -> RE: The Government and Philosophy (10/11/2010 3:21:02 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: NorthernGent
But more importantly...why do you think you way you do? Where have these beliefs come from...and is there much in the way of reason to support them?
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And that's what I'm getting at really....presumably political beliefs are underpinned by a certain view of human nature and behaviour....and that's what's more interesting to me.....not the what...rather the why....
Essentially, my childhood....but I guess that's the same for most everyone.
Reason to support them....yes, only.
I don't claim to have beliefs....I try to avoid saying things such as 'I believe blah blah blah', although not always successfully...learned phrases and all that....instead I say that I think blah blah blah.
I'm reminded of a discussion of religion I had years back, some guy couldn't understand how secular people had morality....eventually the answer boiled down to empathy, but for many of my more political views I suppose....I don't exactly lack empathy, but I don't think about what other people are feeling and bow to it, I challenge it. Humans aren't logical...even when we think about things, we don't think logically....we think with emotions, engrained prejudices evolutionarily designed to pick up patterns and follow them.....but we are capable of thinking at a far better level than gut feeling, we just don't.....whenever someone recieves new information, some statistic or news story or scientific or economic theory, they're likely to get a feeling that guides whether they accept it. Often quite strongly, you'll go instantly to start questioning the source (or not, as appropriate)...and it's quite hard to overcome your automatic reaction and truly judge its veracity dispassionately.
That's a large part of my view of human nature....we are not logical creatures, but we can be. Even when people think they're using logic, if it's a controversial subject they're almost certainly not, they're just trying to build up something that fits the pattern of logic to fit their emotional reaction to the discussion, it's in our nature....our brains are pattern recognising machines, but we can...with some...discomfort perhaps is the right word....use our consciousness to be logical. We just don't, hardly ever.
Consider....a professional poll from a while back, found Labour voters were far more likely to support part privatisation of the post office than conservatives. Makes no sense from a rational perspective....but because it'd been a labour policy because they'd been in govt and had to actually do things whereas cons could avoid taking controversial decisions...labour voters had associated a policy which clearly doesn't match their (ideally) carefully thought views on the role of the state with their 'good guys', and cons with 'the enemy', even though it's a policy they most of all would be likely to support.
I keep making so many typos cos I'm listening to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB4fO-f33K0&feature=related and keep trying to type faster than I can :)
I recall some idea that a lot of political views (eg. just typed political beliefs, then:backspace, views) boil down to whether that person views people...humans....as inherently nice or selfish. I'd say empathy makes us nice to humans, but what we see as human isn't as simple as ten fingers, ten toes, not too hairy....humanising features. The reason police don't send in those with face obscuring headgear unless a protest kicks off. Everyone knows the thing about muggers not mugging those who say hi as they walk past, but it's not an urban myth...it's true. So I guess both views can be right, human nature is...variable. Dependant. Either way, I definitely come down onto the optomistic/people are nice side, but that people will act as such is far from a given. To sum up human behaviour ain't exactly easy...and I think I'm rambling enough.
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