From an experiment performed by some social scientists in 2001.
I believe I do know more about conservatives than they know about liberals. Here are three elemental principles, or fundamental beliefs, of conservatives:
There are more, of course, but these are three that more or less unite conservatives. (Others divide them.)
My predictions are these: 1.) That the majority-conservatives on this board may nit-pick, but they'll agree that these are three fundamental beliefs of the conservative movement; and 2.) that few, if any, of the conservatives on this board will be able to articulate liberal principles in a way that liberals themselves will agree to.
They had subjects identify themselves as either liberals or conservatives... The groups filled out questionnaires about their own beliefs and how they interpreted the beliefs of their opposition. They then rated how much insight their opponents possessed. The results showed liberals believed they knew more about conservatives than conservatives knew about liberals. The conservatives believed they knew more about liberals than liberals knew about conservatives. Both groups thought they knew more about their opponents than their opponents knew about themselves.
I believe I do know more about conservatives than they know about liberals. Here are three elemental principles, or fundamental beliefs, of conservatives:
- Our economic system is fundamentally fair. It rewards hard work and initiative, and punishes laziness and ineptitude. Rich people deserve to be rich, and poor people deserve to be poor.
- The government is fundamentally bad. First because it disrupts the natural outcomes of the free market, and second because it lacks free market discipline, and is therefore inefficient and corrupt.
- When the government disrupts the natural outcomes of the market, it disincentivizes hard work and initiative, and creates a "free ride" mentality among the people.
There are more, of course, but these are three that more or less unite conservatives. (Others divide them.)
My predictions are these: 1.) That the majority-conservatives on this board may nit-pick, but they'll agree that these are three fundamental beliefs of the conservative movement; and 2.) that few, if any, of the conservatives on this board will be able to articulate liberal principles in a way that liberals themselves will agree to.