Chapter 11: Politics of Belief Summary and Analysis

Belief systems operate in the worlds of politics, economics and ideology. Left-leaning individuals will watch MSNBC and read the New York Times. They hate Sarah Palin and guns. Right-leaning individuals will watch FOX News, read the Wall Street Journal and love Dick Cheney and school vouchers. These are obvious examples of the mind deciding on a set of values and setting out to find information and opinion that will support them. But it goes deeper than that.

Research has revealed certain character traits associated with the two major political divisions. Conservatives suffer from uncertainty avoidance and have a deeply-rooted need for structure. They typically have an intolerance for ambiguity and are resistant to change. On a psychological basis, the conservative mind has neurons rooted in fear, aggression and dogmatism. Academia is entrenched in liberalism and...