tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16355954.post7672286590892922411..comments2024-03-28T08:57:53.180+00:00Comments on Darwinian Conservatism by Larry Arnhart: Is Pinker Right that the Smarter People are Classical Liberals?Larry Arnharthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14619785331100785170noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16355954.post-34394417518962585292017-03-25T01:17:37.991+00:002017-03-25T01:17:37.991+00:00Thanks for writing this post.
I listened to The ...Thanks for writing this post. <br /><br />I listened to The Better Angels of Our Nature as an audiobook, and I didn't quite catch what he meant with all the various liberal terms, as they tend to mean different things to different people. <br /><br />If we define "liberals" as people wanting to move away from old societal norms, or wanting to break down boarders, then I think the argument holds, that people with higher IQ tend to hold those positions. <br /><br />But left-liberals hold those positions as well, so if classical liberals are exactly like left-liberals, except that they oppose the welfare state, then I think he's wrong. I don't think there's any significant difference between those groups with regards to IQ. <br /><br />And I agree with your argument. Lib-Dems support the welfare state, so one could classify them as left-liberals. <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16355954.post-84061980370880697112011-12-22T12:46:00.213+00:002011-12-22T12:46:00.213+00:00I wonder if you did a study in communist Russia wh...I wonder if you did a study in communist Russia whether you would find that communists have the highest IQ. Or if in the middle ages you would find that Catholics have the highest IQ. That is, the smartest people of any time will rise in the power structure that exists there. Since we live in a liberal order the smartest will become liberal.Empedoclesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16355954.post-37653182685455508682011-12-21T18:23:18.063+00:002011-12-21T18:23:18.063+00:00I agree that this is a point worth considering.
B...I agree that this is a point worth considering.<br /><br />But one might note that many people of faith have embraced the classical liberal rejection of religious violence. <br /><br />Even among very conservative Jews and Christians, it's hard to find many who believe that blasphemy, heresy, and homosexuality should be capital crimes.<br /><br />That shows a radical transformation in human cultural history that needs to be explained.Larry Arnharthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14619785331100785170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16355954.post-83291420678346357252011-12-21T17:54:16.075+00:002011-12-21T17:54:16.075+00:00You should read David P. Goldman's recent &quo...You should read David P. Goldman's recent "How Civilizations Die." It raises a provocative counterpoint to Pinker.<br /><br />Essentially, secular (and classically liberal) people willingly choose to have less children. Over time, those of faith (not necessarily pagan faith) are likely to re-inherit a good chunk of the world, or there will be a demographic collapse after reaching the high water mark of around 8 billion by the middle of the next century.<br /><br />If this has any predicative validity, it makes for a fascinating battle between the "intelligent" and the "masses." <br /><br />I am not sure I buy the argument in its entirety and Goldman's focuses is clearly Christian and Jewish, but it is worth wrestling with.Greg R. Lawsonhttp://www.gregrlawson.comnoreply@blogger.com