One thing I have noticed is that people not only attribute disagreement to moral failings of their opponents, but to psychological ones as well. Among Peak Oil believers it is common to attribute society's widespread skepticism on the issue to the inability to accept the truth that our pleasant lifestyle is doomed. On the other side, skeptics sometimes point to doomsters' willing acceptance of other forms of catastrophism (such as a real estate crash) as indicating psychological needs for these kinds of beliefs.
The reason all you fools are irrational is your belief in an objective morality! Just ditch that and you'll have true beliefs, just like me.
Perhaps we should attempt to find people that we detest but nevertheless agree with on certain issues.
Hal, it would be interesting to see more detailed quotes about such attributions, to elaborate it as a case study of disagreement.
One thing I have noticed is that people not only attribute disagreement to moral failings of their opponents, but to psychological ones as well. Among Peak Oil believers it is common to attribute society's widespread skepticism on the issue to the inability to accept the truth that our pleasant lifestyle is doomed. On the other side, skeptics sometimes point to doomsters' willing acceptance of other forms of catastrophism (such as a real estate crash) as indicating psychological needs for these kinds of beliefs.
None Evil or All Evil?