Why I call the political right 'Lizard brains'

December 26, 2024

“I'm a social anarchist, not only as a political conviction, but I truly believe it is the only choice for mankind to have a chance of survival. As long as we have capitalist societies, the lizard brains will always win and destruction of life will only be ushered in faster.” — Fox Trenton

“Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit: There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” — Frank Wilhoit

Intro

It is not taken out of air, and while it can probably be phrased in much nicer ways, I'm not bothering with that part. It is based on actual, scientific research, political psychology and other aspects. And it is not only about the right amygdala.

Research of people that display RWA tendencies and score higher on SDO have more than once found particular traits in these personalities. Here is a rather comprehensive list, based on that research.

They

tend to divide the world in us versus them, the in-group vs. out-group thinking
have trouble deciding what facts are valid or irrelevant
have trouble making logical deductions
tend to hold stubbornly to their beliefs even when presented with evidence that suggests their beliefs are wrong. This is especially true for beliefs that underpin the identity of the group
tend to hold contradictory beliefs in their minds to a degree far greater than what is average
tend to be able to suppress these cognitive dissonances to a larger extent than is average
have the instinct to not think for themselves but to conform to the belief system of their group, with particular deference to what the leader tells them to believe
most of the time base decisions on emotions, not reasoning
have no problems breaking or ignoring rules when it empowers the group or the leader.
see power superseding principles

Altemeyer's research

Authoritarians tend to hold stubbornly to their beliefs even when presented with evidence that suggests their beliefs are wrong. This is particularly true concerning beliefs that underpin the identity of the group. If anything, when confronted with contradictory evidence, their beliefs are often reinforced.

The ideas in authoritarians' minds are poorly integrated. They tend to hold contradictory beliefs in their minds to a degree far greater than what is normal for humans. High-RWAs simply absorb ideas from their peers without thinking about how they fit together.

According to Altemeyer, the above-mentioned reasoning flaws prevalent among authoritarians are all connected to their instinct to not think for themselves but to conform to the belief system of their group, with particular deference to what the leader tells them to believe.

Altemeyer has observed that authoritarians are often very ignorant when it comes to both general knowledge and current events.

Authoritarians also are often unaware of just how different they are from most people. They tend to believe they are very average. Altemeyer has found that authoritarians in America underestimate how prejudiced and conformist they are compared to the majority of Americans.

Other psychological research

Liberal vs. Conservative: A Neuroscientific Analysis with Gail Saltz (YouTube, Big Think)

The influence of social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism on environmentalism: A five-year cross-lagged analysis (Samantha K Stanley, Taciano L Milfont, Marc S Wilson, Chris G Sibley)

Reactionism

Reactionism is an illogical and emotional worldview that is based in fear and a sense of displacement. It is often authoritarianist, populist, relativist, anti-intellectualist, nationalist, conspiracy-oriented and phobic. In the reactionary mind there has been a radical break in history, a change in the past, when the natural way of life was broken by an enemy. Who the enemy is varies on context, liberals, feminists, immigrants, cultural Marxists, LGBTQ+, blacks, Jews and so on. The reactionary white man laments the loss of his authority over what he sees as his god-given right over these groups. It is the same as when John C. Calhoun developed the invention of racial hierarchy, that simply by the virtue of the white skin, no matter how poor or powerless, every white man was given a sense that he is an aristocrat.

sintrenton