Enough with the
Rational Arguments Already!
My lovely wife and I often sit at the kitchen table discussing
the morning news. I don’t think it is any great surprise to anyone that knows
us, but we tend to the “liberal” or “progressive” side of things when it comes
to social issues. She often gets quite upset with all of the popularity of some
of the candidates for President that espouse more “conservative” views. She
seems particularly frightened of the fact that one Donald Trump is admired,
followed, or supported by a huge number of people. She regularly says to me, “What
is wrong with people?”, “Don’t they read anything?”, and words to that effect.
I try to tell her, you are being way too rational about this
stuff. People simply do not pay that much attention to things. They tend to make
judgments with their “fast” brain – the pattern recognition, gut reaction part
of their thinking engine. Excellent research by highly trained scientists has
figured out that. See my little piece on Daniel Kahnneman’s book, Thinking, Fast and Slow.
A group of psychologists from Yale have been studying the
political dimensions of this stuff for some time. See http://www.culturalcognition.net/
One of their findings is that most people are more motivated
by their “culture” than any rational idea or argument. Another is that most
people are not very sophisticated about political discussions. They are not
privy to the complexities and the problems. They make simple judgments about
complex things – it is the best we can do.
Conservatives appeal to values all the time – it’s the only
thing they do. Progressives really do not have a communications program that
speaks to anyone. They keep offering facts and studies, which tend to do
nothing but confirm the other side in their belief based value system. Most of
us are simply not going to be persuaded by this approach. It is a complete
waste of time. They are working with a “false theory of human reason”. Humans
do not work that way.
I just read an excellent little piece on this, and I would
like to encourage you to read it. This is an interview with the author of Don’t Think of an Elephant.
Here are a few quotes to further tempt you.
What progressives call "rational arguments" are not normal modes of real reason. What counts as a "rational argument" is not the same for progressives and conservatives. And even the meaning of concepts and words may be different.
Progressives constantly ask how to "respond" to illegitimate claims by conservatives, whether about fear or anything else. That is because conservatives have an effective communication system and progressives do not, and conservative marketers better understand real reason. To deal with illegitimate fears, you don’t wait till you have to respond. You need (1) to build an effective communication system, (2) to communicate the general progressive value system, (3) repeat the truths that reveal what is right about those values, (4) act with courage to promote the sense of courage, confidence and hope that allows the truth to be meaningful and powerful. Within such a context, one can honestly and openly discuss the facts that undermine such fears, so that the illegitimate fears don’t get established in the first place.
The Democratic party right now seems outwardly to stand for nothing in general, just a laundry list of positions. But most Democrats understand that "the private depends on the public," namely, that public resources for all allow for private freedoms, whether in private enterprise or private life. Republicans talk about freedom all the time, but the Democrats are the real party of freedom and need to say it. The truth of progressive freedoms is part of what we take for granted, so much part of the fabric of our lives that we don't pay attention to it. Naming it makes you pay attention to it.
Obama is also a rationalist; that is, he has the false theory of human reason that many progressive policymakers have and that he mastered in law school and teaching law. According to classic rationalism, if you just tell people the facts, then by universal logic, people will reason to the right conclusion. For example, the president thought that if the public liked each of the major provisions of his health care bill, they would support the whole bill. They still like each provision. Conservatives never attacked the major provisions. Instead they attacked it on two moral grounds: Freedom (government takeover) and Life (death panels). These are not the same issues so far as our brains are concerned, and morality is more of a determinant of personal identity than the details of insurance. The conservative manipulation of real reason won out over the repetition of insurance provisions. Yes, the provisions work. And so does the conservative moral framing.
And here is the best advice of all:
In personal interactions, as over the Thanksgiving table with conservative relatives or in your social or business life with colleagues and coworkers, the first thing to realize is that, for the most part, conservatives believe deeply that they are morally right, that they and other conservatives are operating from the right moral principles. They don’t believe that they are immoral, and they don't believe that right and wrong don't matter. As moral beings, they want to be treated with respect. And in personal relationships, respect is appropriate.
The question is whether they are bi-conceptual, whether they have partly progressive values. So turn the conversation to an issue defined by nurturance: What have you done, or are you doing, that helps other people or helps your community? What makes you feel good about it? And so on. If there is nurturance there, bring it out and magnify it, and respect it. Try to keep conversation focused on such issues. Don't try to argue against their conservative positions, and certainly not in their language. Listen. Be patient.
If you must discuss political differences, just be positive, starting with your values and with how you understand freedom and how it arises from citizens working together to provide public resources for everyone. Use your language, not theirs. Stay respectful.
