In yesterday’s Washington Post Shankar Vedantam had another fascinating bias article, "Disagree About Iraq? You’re Not Just Wrong — You’re Evil." What is interesting about the [Iraq war] clash from a psychological perspective is not that supporters and critics disagree, but that large numbers of people on both sides claim to know the motives of people who disagree with them. … A wide body of psychological research shows that on any number of hot-button issues, people seem hard-wired to believe the worst about those who disagree with them. … said Glenn D. Reeder, a social psychologist at Illinois State University … "We find it difficult to grant that other people come to their conclusions in good faith if they reach a conclusion that is different than ours." …
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?