Psychology
fromPsychology Today
2 days agoThinking Harder Won't Save You
Motivated reasoning often defends prior beliefs rather than revising them, with reflection reinforcing existing intuitions instead of promoting unbiased judgment.
As it turns out, neuroscience might be able to explain why. In a new study whose findings will surprise absolutely no one who's endured a fiery holiday dinner debate, researchers discovered that conservative and liberal brains don't just arrive at fundamentally different conclusions, but take strikingly different paths to get there. It's a fascinating piece of research which just might explain something about the yawning political divides currently tearing society apart.
"I had enough of his hatred," the suspect, Tyler Robinson, wrote in a text message to his romantic partner, according to a transcript of their exchange released by the prosecutors. "Some hate can't be negotiated out." An assassin to the right of Kirk, irritated by Kirk's moderation, would have criticized him for being insufficiently hateful. The other charging documents describe Robinson's recent drift to the political left. Robinson's romance with a trans person, and decision to kill Kirk just as he was speaking about transgender mass shooters, strongly suggests that the alleged killer felt special zeal for the cause of trans rights, which is itself closely identified with the left.