Quote (Thor123422 @ 12 Feb 2021 19:33)
That's a silly interpretation of how one group would see a controlled experimental setting.
It mostly just comes from the understanding of what those areas of the brain do. Frontal lobe is for social function, critical thinking, planning, etc. Amygdala is emotional memory formation.
The Prefrontal cortex also plays a large role, among other tasks, in integrating memories associated with emotions, modifying these emotions to fit socially acceptable norms.
And according to wiki, "PFC functions also include override and suppression of socially unacceptable responses [...]".
On the flip side, the amygdala plays a crucial role not just in emotional memory formation but also in the ability to perform decision-making.
After reading about it a little bit, "frontal lobe = rationality, amygdala = emotion" is a too simplistic view. According to your line of reasoning (deriving an inclination toward certain behavior and stances from size differences of certain parts of the liberal/conservative brain), one could argue that liberals are more inclined to adhere to political correctness because their brains are wired this way.
Sorry, it still seems to me like you're overinterpreting scientific studies on these things to confirm your personal biases, namely that conservatives are driven by cheap appeals to emotion and by lazy, uncritical thinking while liberals are driven by rational and consistent thinking. I can largely agree with you, however, when you say that
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Conservatives have their place. They tend to limit losses and define boundaries. Liberals tend to explore and push boundaries. When things are functioning properly conservatives keep the liberals from jumping off a cliff as they explore. When things aren't functioning properly conservatives reinforce systems that don't work, and liberals jump head first off cliffs.
I think a lot of the debates between left and right, liberal and conservative come down to a difference in perception of the status quo. The fiercest, most polarizing debates tend to revolve around issues where one side is satisfied with the status quo while the other side considers it fundamentally broken. This is the case on issues like abortion, guns, racial and gender discrimination, immigration and integration, or economic inequality within the lower 85% of society.
Like you say: normally, when things are functioning properly, conservatives successfully keep liberals from jumping off a cliff. And I think that's what a lot of conservative America is felling: that liberals are trying to fix things which are not broken, that they want to jump off a cliff headfirst and will drag the entire country with them - and that they increasingly fail to rein in these destructive impulses on the other side.
Conversely, liberal America feels like the country/the system is fundamentally broken in almost every way, and conservatives prevent them from exploring and pushing boundaries out of despicable, morally or ethically illegitimate reasons. This difference in perception also ties into the whole debate about fake news, alternative facts and such - the two tribes increasingly fail to agree upon a shared description or perception of reality. And that's a global trend which is increasingly manifesting itself here in Europe as well, although not on the level seen in the U.S. (yet).
This post was edited by Black XistenZ on Feb 12 2021 03:59pm