I don't see any evidence that either right or left wingers really are motivated to find the ultimate causes of behavior in either genetics or environment. The majority still feel that such explanations de-humanize and violate human freedom and responsibility. I think that is true for the majority of both left and right and, despite what they might think about the causes of other's behavior, very few act as if they believe their own behaviors are not largely freely chosen.
To find evidence of both left and right support for genetic explanations, one need look no further than http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugenics. As Wikipedia is reflective of the wisdom of the crowds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wisdom_of_Crowds), no critical thinking required). Fear the Beard! Rick Dr. Rick Froman, Chair Division of Humanities and Social Sciences John Brown University Siloam Springs, AR 72761 rfro...@jbu.edu ________________________________________ From: Mike Palij [m...@nyu.edu] Sent: Saturday, October 16, 2010 11:29 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Cc: Mike Palij Subject: RE: Re:[tips] Are Genes Left-Wing? . Re: (2) Except that genetic explanations have a long history in right-wing politics and environmental explanation have a long history in left-wing politics. As we learn more about gene-environment interactions, the overly simplistic conceptions of nature vs nurture ideologies will have to be reworked. But, just as creationsists will not find any scientific evidence that undermines creation science to be credible, eugenics-oriented right wingers will not be deterred by evidence that their conceptions of "bad genes" are invalid. Left-wingers, I think, should be cautious in embracing genetic explanations unless the research is really, really good. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: arch...@jab.org. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=5734 or send a blank email to leave-5734-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
