The Republican Brain?

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vnatale
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The Republican Brain?

Post by vnatale » Fri Nov 01, 2019 6:48 pm

How many of you have read: The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science- and Reality ?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/registry/wi ... l_huc_view

I read it in two days in June 2012. I have ZERO memory of anything in it. If you want to know more about it I'm sure some of the Amazon reviews would be far more informative regarding it than I could ever be.

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Xan » Fri Nov 01, 2019 8:55 pm

Who's denying reality when they claim there are 312 different genders? Or that a boy is a girl?
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by vnatale » Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:00 pm

Xan wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 8:55 pm
Who's denying reality when they claim there are 312 different genders? Or that a boy is a girl?
What percentage of non-Republicans do you think believe that?

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by stuper1 » Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:39 am

vnatale wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:00 pm
Xan wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 8:55 pm
Who's denying reality when they claim there are 312 different genders? Or that a boy is a girl?
What percentage of non-Republicans do you think believe that?

Vinny
Just a crazy guess that more non-Republicans believe that than Republicans.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Mountaineer » Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:48 am

stuper1 wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:39 am
vnatale wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:00 pm
Xan wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 8:55 pm
Who's denying reality when they claim there are 312 different genders? Or that a boy is a girl?
What percentage of non-Republicans do you think believe that?

Vinny
Just a crazy guess that more non-Republicans believe that than Republicans.
I'm sure it is not true. There are definitely 313 different genders. ;)
DNA has its own language (code), and language requires intelligence. There is no known mechanism by which matter can give birth to information, let alone language. It is unreasonable to believe the world could have happened by chance.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by flyingpylon » Sat Nov 02, 2019 5:42 am

One could also ask why Democrats deny math.

And some of what’s labeled “science” is actually “religion”, so there’s that.

But neither discussion is likely to generate much useful insight.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by vnatale » Sat Nov 02, 2019 10:50 am

stuper1 wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:39 am
vnatale wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:00 pm
Xan wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 8:55 pm
Who's denying reality when they claim there are 312 different genders? Or that a boy is a girl?
What percentage of non-Republicans do you think believe that?

Vinny
Just a crazy guess that more non-Republicans believe that than Republicans.
But that give me no idea of what you think is the magnitude of the difference. Is it 51/49? 60/40? 90/10? 99/01?

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by vnatale » Sat Nov 02, 2019 10:54 am

Mountaineer wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:48 am
stuper1 wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 12:39 am
vnatale wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:00 pm


What percentage of non-Republicans do you think believe that?

Vinny
Just a crazy guess that more non-Republicans believe that than Republicans.
I'm sure it is not true. There are definitely 313 different genders. ;)
For me the whole different gender thing is a somewhat fringe issue, i.e., affecting a tiny, tiny portion of the population. Therefore, it will never be a top issue / concern of mine. And, not something I've paid a lot of attention to. That means I did not know if the 312 number was real or not.

Doing a quick search I see this:

https://dudeasks.com/how-many-genders-a ... e-in-2019/

Am I correct in concluding that both the above and the 312 are facetious?

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by vnatale » Sat Nov 02, 2019 10:56 am

MangoMan wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 10:24 am
vnatale wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 6:48 pm
How many of you have read: The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science- and Reality ?

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/registry/wi ... l_huc_view

I read it in two days in June 2012. I have ZERO memory of anything in it. If you want to know more about it I'm sure some of the Amazon reviews would be far more informative regarding it than I could ever be.

Vinny
I could have put this in the 'Books' thread, but it seems more fitting here:

https://smile.amazon.com/Republicans-Bu ... 062878530/

The question is why do so many on the left deny reality?
Just added it to my Amazon wish list as it has not yet become cheap enough for me to impulsively buy it. If I see it on one of my library trips I will read it.

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Tyler » Sat Nov 02, 2019 11:23 am

vnatale wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:00 pm
Xan wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 8:55 pm
Who's denying reality when they claim there are 312 different genders? Or that a boy is a girl?
What percentage of non-Republicans do you think believe that?

Vinny

I believe it's 100% of the Democratic candidates for president. Or at least that's what they feel obligated to believe publicly to win the primary votes of their hardcore voting base. Non-binary language is also now officially part of the Democratic charter. So I certainly wouldn't dismiss it as a fringe belief.

But really it's much bigger than that one issue. Democrats love to talk about how much they believe the science behind climate change and evolution, but they seem to be a lot less enthusiastic about the science supporting vaccines, modern food production, fracking, basic math, how islands work, and the existence of space. IMO, any book that attacks the unscientific beliefs of the right while ignoring the unscientific beliefs of the left is more of a political strawman than an honest discussion and is probably not worth your time.
Last edited by Tyler on Sat Nov 02, 2019 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by jacksonm2 » Sat Nov 02, 2019 2:12 pm

Tyler wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 11:23 am
vnatale wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 9:00 pm
Xan wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 8:55 pm
Who's denying reality when they claim there are 312 different genders? Or that a boy is a girl?
What percentage of non-Republicans do you think believe that?

Vinny

I believe it's officially 100% of the Democratic candidates for president. Or at least that's what they feel obligated to believe publicly to win the primary votes of their hardcore voting base. Non-binary language is also now officially part of the Democratic charter. So I certainly wouldn't dismiss it as a fringe belief.

But really it's much bigger than that one issue. Democrats love to talk about how much they believe the science behind climate change and evolution, but they seem to be a lot less enthusiastic about the science supporting vaccines, modern food production, fracking, basic math, how islands work, and the existence of space. IMO, any book that attacks the unscientific beliefs of the right while ignoring the unscientific beliefs of the left is more of a political strawman than an honest discussion and is probably not worth your time.
Agreed. When it comes to "science" I think we are getting pretty near the point in politics where there are "lies, damn lies, and science". Quite a shame, I think.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by ochotona » Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:16 pm

The over-arching problem is Americans are incapable of critical thinking, especially as relates to anything quantitative. That's why most of the young scientists and engineers are of Asian (Sinitic or Indic) cultural backgrounds. Americans would rather teach their kids to be gender fluid strippers than teach them Calculus.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by vnatale » Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:25 pm

ochotona wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:16 pm
The over-arching problem is Americans are incapable of critical thinking, especially as relates to anything quantitative. That's why most of the young scientists and engineers are of Asian (Sinitic or Indic) cultural backgrounds. Americans would rather teach their kids to be gender fluid strippers than teach them Calculus.
However, I invite you and all others to take this quiz to see how your beliefs of the world conform with the actual facts.

https://factfulnessquiz.com/

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Kriegsspiel » Sun Nov 03, 2019 6:32 am

astrology.png
astrology.png (43.79 KiB) Viewed 6434 times
You there, Ephialtes. May you live forever.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by ochotona » Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:44 am

Kriegsspiel wrote:
Sun Nov 03, 2019 6:32 am
astrology.png
Fair enough... but you have to look at the other side. What is the fraction of Republican voters, and especially high-conviction Trump supporters who believe the Bible is literally true, factual, and scientific? It's very, very high. I don't even need to see a study, because I used to hang out with these people before DJT came around and totally ruined the GOP for me.

Disclosure - I am a Christian, but not a literalist / fundamentalist.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Libertarian666 » Sun Nov 03, 2019 12:02 pm

vnatale wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:25 pm
ochotona wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:16 pm
The over-arching problem is Americans are incapable of critical thinking, especially as relates to anything quantitative. That's why most of the young scientists and engineers are of Asian (Sinitic or Indic) cultural backgrounds. Americans would rather teach their kids to be gender fluid strippers than teach them Calculus.
However, I invite you and all others to take this quiz to see how your beliefs of the world conform with the actual facts.

https://factfulnessquiz.com/

Vinny
"This is the official 13-question Factfulness Test recommended by Barack Obama and Bill Gates."

No, thanks. If I want to read Communist propaganda, I'll read "Das Kapital".
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Xan » Sun Nov 03, 2019 2:02 pm

Libertarian666 wrote:
Sun Nov 03, 2019 12:02 pm
vnatale wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:25 pm
ochotona wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:16 pm
The over-arching problem is Americans are incapable of critical thinking, especially as relates to anything quantitative. That's why most of the young scientists and engineers are of Asian (Sinitic or Indic) cultural backgrounds. Americans would rather teach their kids to be gender fluid strippers than teach them Calculus.
However, I invite you and all others to take this quiz to see how your beliefs of the world conform with the actual facts.

https://factfulnessquiz.com/

Vinny
"This is the official 13-question Factfulness Test recommended by Barack Obama and Bill Gates."

No, thanks. If I want to read Communist propaganda, I'll read "Das Kapital".
Actually it was quite interesting, and in my opinion undermines the claimed need for worldwide wealth redistribution.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Xan » Sun Nov 03, 2019 2:07 pm

ochotona wrote:
Sun Nov 03, 2019 8:44 am
Kriegsspiel wrote:
Sun Nov 03, 2019 6:32 am
astrology.png
Fair enough... but you have to look at the other side. What is the fraction of Republican voters, and especially high-conviction Trump supporters who believe the Bible is literally true, factual, and scientific? It's very, very high. I don't even need to see a study, because I used to hang out with these people before DJT came around and totally ruined the GOP for me.

Disclosure - I am a Christian, but not a literalist / fundamentalist.
Replacing something of a rant with the observation that Tyler is right that believing weird things is a human problem, not a Republican problem, and the book and post that started this thread are uninterested in honest discussion about why people believe what they do.

Also I'd like to point out that "science" and "truth" are by no means the same thing. Science is a branch of philosophy. It's one way of looking at the world. A useful one, in many scenarios. Perhaps not so useful in others.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Maddy » Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:10 am

Xan wrote:
Sun Nov 03, 2019 2:07 pm
Replacing something of a rant with the observation that Tyler is right that believing weird things is a human problem, not a Republican problem, and the book and post that started this thread are uninterested in honest discussion about why people believe what they do.
Thank you.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by jacksonm2 » Tue Nov 05, 2019 10:38 am

Libertarian666 wrote:
Sun Nov 03, 2019 12:02 pm
vnatale wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:25 pm
ochotona wrote:
Sat Nov 02, 2019 4:16 pm
The over-arching problem is Americans are incapable of critical thinking, especially as relates to anything quantitative. That's why most of the young scientists and engineers are of Asian (Sinitic or Indic) cultural backgrounds. Americans would rather teach their kids to be gender fluid strippers than teach them Calculus.
However, I invite you and all others to take this quiz to see how your beliefs of the world conform with the actual facts.

https://factfulnessquiz.com/

Vinny
"This is the official 13-question Factfulness Test recommended by Barack Obama and Bill Gates."

No, thanks. If I want to read Communist propaganda, I'll read "Das Kapital".
Must be nice to be rich like Barack and Bill so you don't have enough problems of your own that you need to worry about everybody else's.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Libertarian666 » Tue Nov 05, 2019 3:23 pm

MangoMan wrote:
Tue Nov 05, 2019 1:44 pm
vnatale wrote:
Fri Nov 01, 2019 6:48 pm
The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny Science- and Reality ?
Define 'science'. Left wing propaganda?

Failed doomsday predictions from the last 50 years "based on science". The list is impressive.
1966: Oil will run out in 10 years
1967: Famines by 1975
1968: Worldwide overpopulation
1970: World's natural resources run out
1970: Ice age by 2000
1970: Water rationing in U.S. by 1974, food rationing by 1980
1971: New ice age by 2020 or 2030
1974: Satellites show new ice age is near
1976: Scientific consensus that Earth is cooling
1978: 30-year cooling trend continues
1980: Acid rain kills life in lakes
1980: Peak oil in 2000
1988: Regional droughts by 1990s
1988: Maldives underwater by 2018
1989: Nations will be wiped out if nothing done by 2000
2000: Children won't know what snow is
2002: Peak oil in 2010
2002: Famine in 10 years unless we stop eating fish, meat and dairy products
2004: Britain will be Siberia by 2020
2008: The Arctic will be ice-free by 2018
2008: Al Gore predicts ice-free Arctic by 2013
2009: Prince Charles says we have 96 months to save the world
2009: Gordon Brown says we have 50 days to "save the planet from catastrophe"
2013: Arctic ice-free by 2015
2014: Only 500 days before "climate chaos"
source
But this time it's different! >:D
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Xan » Tue Nov 05, 2019 3:47 pm

Research Finds Conservatives Are More Happy, Generous, And Purposeful Than Liberals

And if you deny this is true then you are against science! :-)
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Cortopassi » Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:02 pm

pug,

You call that left wing propaganda. I submit that it is done on both sides, for whatever reasons.

It's been climate based scare tactics by the left side for quite a while. They do themselves a huge disservice by putting dates on this stuff. 12 years to go right? Why would anyone do that? You just gotta know the blow back you're going to get.

The right side seems to use more freedom/war/immigration based scare tactics.

--Mexicans are taking all your jobs
--They're coming for your guns
--Weapons of mass destruction
--They're a socialist
--Tax cuts pay for themselves
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by Xan » Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:14 pm

Cortopassi wrote:
Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:02 pm
pug,

You call that left wing propaganda. I submit that it is done on both sides, for whatever reasons.

It's been climate based scare tactics by the left side for quite a while. They do themselves a huge disservice by putting dates on this stuff. 12 years to go right? Why would anyone do that? You just gotta know the blow back you're going to get.

The right side seems to use more freedom/war/immigration based scare tactics.

--Mexicans are taking all your jobs
--They're coming for your guns
--Weapons of mass destruction
--They're a socialist
--Tax cuts pay for themselves
Corto,

The topic here is "why don't these Republican idiots believe in science/reality", and pug's list of very specific and failed predictions is an excellent response to that question. This isn't about scare tactics; it's about whether or not those scientific predictions were correct.
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Re: The Republican Brain?

Post by vnatale » Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:22 pm

Xan wrote:
Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:14 pm
Cortopassi wrote:
Tue Nov 05, 2019 4:02 pm
pug,

You call that left wing propaganda. I submit that it is done on both sides, for whatever reasons.

It's been climate based scare tactics by the left side for quite a while. They do themselves a huge disservice by putting dates on this stuff. 12 years to go right? Why would anyone do that? You just gotta know the blow back you're going to get.

The right side seems to use more freedom/war/immigration based scare tactics.

--Mexicans are taking all your jobs
--They're coming for your guns
--Weapons of mass destruction
--They're a socialist
--Tax cuts pay for themselves
Corto,

The topic here is "why don't these Republican idiots believe in science/reality", and pug's list of very specific and failed predictions is an excellent response to that question. This isn't about scare tactics; it's about whether or not those scientific predictions were correct.
In the Factfulness book which I'd earlier referred to in this forum plus this quiz: https://factfulnessquiz.com/ - (which I still think you should take in spite of your thoughts regarding Bill Gates and Obama (it should only take a few minutes)), the author described being at some conference with Al Gore. Al Gore wanted him to exaggerate the urgency of climate warming because that is the only way you can get the audience's attention enough for them to act. The author refused, sticking to his principles of just stating the facts with no embellishments.

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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