originally posted by VLM:
What do you make of the studies that show different fMRI patterns for self-labeled "conservatives" versus "liberals/progressives"? That is the former accesses regions mostly associated with emotion and the latter with reason.
Tough to know. I think you and I have discussed before how the intersection of these different fields makes it very difficult to find people competent enough to evaluate all angles of those studies.
Plus, I think we're still in the early days of forming a consensus, and some of the results have been fragile/contradicted by subsequent studies. I'm not deep into the field, but I do follow it a bit and assign some of the latest readings for one or two of my classes each year.
I'm also prone to be skeptical, because in my personal experience 'reason' is not the main adjective I would use for liberals/progressives. But I'm willing to be convinced!