A while back I did some articles on the thermodynamics of politics: A thermodynamic explanation of politics and Behavioral Sink Behavior And Thermodynamics. A recent post I did Politicians Are Deficient In Endocannabinoids got me to thinking more about the subject.
That post got me to thinking that there may be more involved than just thermodynamics. There may also be brain structure involved. This peer reviewed article Political Views Are Reflected in Brain Structure – pdf, is a piece of the puzzle. The article is not just idle speculation. The people doing the research did MRIs to check the brain structures.
Some other papers on the subject suggested by Dr. Bob Melamede:
Political Attitudes Vary with Physiological Traits – University of Nebraska – pdf
Neurocognitive correlates of liberalism and conservatism – pdf
Follow my eyes: the gaze of politicians reflexively captures the gaze of in-group voters – pdf
Medical marijuana: politics trumps science at the FDA
Some videos on the subject by Dr. Bob. You can watch the first video in the series at Politicians Are Deficient In Endocannabinoids.
I left this note on the above video:
Bob – I like your view pretty much except for one critical point. Liberals in general don’t do math. And this will lead to a collapse of their dreams. Which will of course put the anti-change people in charge. At least for a while. BTW I’m an EE. They tend libertarian to conservative. Doing the math does that to people.
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Bob looks really stoned in this one:
Bob looks really stoned in this one too:
I did leave Dr. Bob a message on the last video:
The 99% movement is driven by envy and greed. You need to rethink that. A better idea is to raise everyone up without tearing anyone down.
Extended: That was a Bucky Fuller idea. I think he was correct because he understood the structure of power. All the 99% will do if they succeed is to start a war. I have no problem with war. But that particular one is unnecessary. Design science is the answer. Do more with less.
From The Design-Science Revolution of R. Buckminster Fuller:
Now, Fuller feels it is time for a world revolution which can harness technology making it work for the good of humanity by allowing everyone access to its fruits. He knows that a bloody revolution is not the kind of revolution the world needs, for a bloody revolution could escalate to world war. Fuller feels that we will all win if there is a design-science revolution, “one that, instead of revengefully pulling down the top fortunate few, will elevate all the heretofore unfortunates and the fortunate alike to new and sustainable heights of realized life far superior to those previously tenuously attained by the most privileged few”.
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot help little men by tearing down big men.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot build character and courage by destroying men’s initiative and independence.
And you cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they can and should do for themselves.
Attributed to William J. H. Boetcker from a 1916 pamphlet.
And another thing you have to ask yourself Dr. Bob, if fear is such a bad thing why has it persisted? It must have some uses or we wouldn’t be endowed with it. As with all things the middle way is best. At the end of the video Dr. Bob does say that we need a better balance between hope and fear. I agree.
Comments
7 responses to “Politics And Brain Structure”
As long as your advocates publicly shy away from what you really believe .doing away with medicade for the poor! stop forcing hospitals to treat the uninsured and telling them to go to charity hospitals if their are any left after they are overwelmed with poor who are sick and don’t try dying in are parking lot or we will call the police as faith healer oral roberts did at his hospital. If your ideas on poor sick children are so great have conservatives and libertarians run on your principals! Rand Paul should come out and say wasn’t it great before medicade when poor sick children died at home because their parents had no money to pay the hospital! I have been around that long I have seen children trying to sell christmas cards in august to raise money so their sick mother could go to the hospital! And you wonder why your hated?
It doesn’t really matter.
A plurality of voters have had a little taste of power–they can take anything they wish away from a slightly larger group of citizens. Very few people in history have had the moral courage to walk away from an opportunity for plunder, I don’t think Americans will be any different.
All we can hope is that they find out quickly that they’re next on the list when the plunder runs out.
Cap,
Well I’m indifferent to being hated. I have my opinions. I’ll keep them until I find better ones. For me.
The only thing that can be done for the poor is grow the economy. Stealing from the rich doesn’t work well for long. They have the money to resist.
My expectation is that if I promote theft eventually the thieves will come after me. Which is the usual case.
simon if your so indifferent why is all you talk about is threats see my life boat analogy. None of the comments address my comment unless you think poor sick children getting medical treatment and food is stealing from you!
Theft is not charity. I favor charity. And you know – the right is much better at charity than the left. You can look it up.
Charity is not enough you can look it up. Start with the great depression! Charitys who were doing a poor job of helping in the good economy of 1920’s were overwelmed by the great depression when fdr and the new deal said no the communists are wrong! We don’t have to shoot the rich we can tax some of their wealth to help the starving children! That is why your still here with us! As for charitys most were either rip offs or were being ripped off worse then today! The head of new york stock exchange was convicted of stealing mony out of nyse’s widows and orphans fund to finace his polo ponys you can look it up!
Crap,
Probably because Democrats were being niggardly. In any case – a broke government will take everyone down and all will be worse off. That is the equality the left is working for.
Ah. Yes. Polo ponies. That is different from Presidential junkets and moochie’s vacations how?