Brain ''Wiring''

[REASON]

Hmmm.....Left-brained soul brothers leaning toward Barack Obama, the liberal.

How is this possible based on your theory, questor?

By the way, I ended up 55% Left-brained, 45% Right-brained according to this specific test. Looks like I'm barely under the wire to be qualified as a candidate for president.

Although I'm sure that if you are more than 10% Right-brained, you're branded a liberal and are therefore disqualified for president.

[freeztar]

Ha! Check this out...
Not exactly the type of wiring that questor was thinking of, but interesting nonetheless.

As reported in this week's issue of "New Scientist" magazine, research by Rice University professor of political science John Alford indicates that what is on one's mind about politics may be influenced by how people are wired genetically.

Is political orientation transmitted genetically?

[modest]

Originally Posted by freeztar

Is political orientation transmitted genetically?

My parents wish!

-modest

[REASON]

Interesting article.

Of course it says nothing about political persuasion relative to hemispheric orientation or genetic aptitude for political leadership positions.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by modest

My parents wish!

I'm right there with you, or is that left there with you.

Edit: Double entendre!

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by REASON

Interesting article.

Of course it says nothing about political persuasion relative to hemispheric orientation or genetic aptitude for political leadership positions.

Nor should it!
It's strange enough as it is.

[Brinnie]

Originally Posted by questor

With the Presidential elections coming up in 2008, I would like to start a discussion on what may be a biochemical difference in human beings. My question is this:

why are approximately 40% of Americans liberal and 40 %
conservative with the rest somewhere in between?
How can two people view the same event and have totally different perceptions of what occurred and the sequelae thereof?

Yes, to be a politician one must be part machine.
Politicians have to carry out critical tasks and orders.

i think everybody in Americon basically has the same overall views: No stealing or killing, fr33 spe4ch, etc... but the HUGE differences are in moral. [1] WatchingAmerica.com covers what the rest of the world thinks of Americans and America. if u have lived abroad, this will clearly hit home. if not, u may learn just how isolated we r. scientifically, abortion and stem cell research is all in a days work. but not 2 morally concerned folk, such as baptists. politicians will try 2 appeal 2 voters regardless of what they truly believe in and so will u, but that's a different story...

nobody is entirely right-brained or left brained. at best, hemispheres can contrast at 70/30. teh most successful business leaders r in fact “balanced” that is 2 say they hav no predominance, so they think logically and methodically but equally, they can b creative and not b confined by paradigms [1]

yes, we r obviously wired. how is a completely social.

[Ahmabeliever]

You Are 30% Left Brained, 70% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning.
Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others.
If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic.
Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.

The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility.
Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way.
If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art.
Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Looks like about as right (hair) brained as it gets. Though the test failed to point out I also enjoy long walks on the beach.

I prefer sports - WTF? No, I do not like sports,
I am good at math? I did many grades solely in my head, till at a certain point the game was up, it was too complex, and I'd failed to learn any formulas leading up to that point.

I agree where Buffy said the majority think a variant of "a pox on both their houses".

Nature and nurture could enter the debate too.

eg:

A right brainer in low economic bracket has a lot less time for dreaming and may become very pragmatic. Of course, he will still dare to dream, but knows he must act to feed his family. The stresses placed on an individual including all social educational and experential inputs will alter individuals from 'type'.

Practicality and organisational thought can be learned. Communication and reasoning can be learned.

But can creativity be taught? Can intuition be taught? Without these functions in leadership are we not lacking?

I really enjoyed hydrogen bonds earlier sports analogies concerning the subject at hand.

A right brain coach with a left brained team. This formula works.

As a geek game strategist my right brain called the plays and the left brain boys took us to win the championship with strategies I made.

As an editor my right brain made it pleasing to the eye, figured out how to sell lots of sponsorship deals to reduce advertising, and made it interesting to read, my left brained secretary did everything else. We doubled the size and tripled the circulation of that paper in 6 months.

Winning combo.

Emotion seems to rule over intellect when it comes to political views with many people, that or complete apathy. Similar to religion in this respect.

Is fundamentalism a right wing phenomenon? How prevalent?

If the biblical version of end times is correct... and fundamentalist types are correct in their beliefs that it is end times...
would they not be 'the select few' surrounded by 'the immoral majority'?
not 40% of the population...

[questor]

As yet, I have not seen an explanation of why a large portion of the population is liberal and a large portion is conservative. Both camps are exposed to the same information, but the perceptions and conclusions reached are quite different. Consider the issues of immigration, education, affirmative action, prayer in schools, capital punishment, morality, etc. How can people living in the same country, with the same facts available, come to opposite opinions? Arguments from either side hardly ever change an oponents mind because his opinion has been reached by his own personal way of processing data.

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by questor

As yet, I have not seen an explanation of why a large portion of the population is liberal and a large portion is conservative.

<...>

How can people living in the same country, with the same facts available, come to opposite opinions?

It's interesting you say that you've never seen such an explanation, as one has been repeatedly offered you in this very thread. I think that you've often seen these explanations, you've just chosen to ignore them since they don't fit with the worldview which is required of the bilateral dominance model you propose.

People have different life experiences, regardless how they share a country or a job type or a whatever. They each have very unique circumstances which make them an individual, and those past experiences act as a filter on all new incoming information.

It is not as simple as you're trying to force it to be. We are much more than just a collection of genes within some borders on a map...


I will make this as basic and simple as I can through an analogy which covers both the nature and nurture sides of the conversation which have been raised:

You have a mother. I have a mother. Why aren't we exactly the same? Well, we had different mothers. Simple really.