TED Talk: Irrationality in Politics

[admin]

Just watched an interesting TED conference lecture on irrationality in politics. Thought you guys might find it interesting, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JYL5VUe5NQ

[buster]

Interesting talk. One thing he mentioned is I think a little too simple. He suggests we should get information from sources we disagree with in order to gather perspectives contrary to our own to improve and grow in our opinions. There has to be a limit on this. I'm not going to call in a Jehovah Witness, or debate any more with people who think there is no such thing as evolution. People who suggest there are aliens amongst us is not invited to my house for debates. I made the relevant decisions long ago concerning what I thought about those issues.

At some time, to make our mental universe manageable, we have to sift the information and make a decision, and then move on. Otherwise do we have to reconsider the idea that there is a Santa Clause, there are fairies in the garden, that the universe is ending in December? Gather info, consider, decide and then get on with it.

Otherwise you end up as a mush brain, making statements like, "But it's possible, isn't it?" about everything.

But an excellent speaker.

[admin]

I agree with what you're saying but I don't think that was what he really said. At least that's not how I took it. What he said was that you're most likely to learn something new from people who disagree with you. I think he's arguing against not ever be willing to listen to the other side. In your examples, I'm sure you already have those perspectives introduced to you, so you have already looked into the alternative viewpoints, so to speak, and then discounted them.

I also think we need to remember the talk is about irrationality in politics and he used two pictures of two sides of a political debate - Jon Stewart and Glenn Beck. People will usually watch one guy or the other without ever having viewed the other guy in politics. And they have extremely different opinions. What you're talking about is a lot more cut-and-dried than most political issues are. The real danger in political thought is that we only listen to the guys on our side while thinking we're the only ones that are objective. He's making the point that in politics, if we refused to listen to other points of view, than we might miss on adding to our knowledge and getting at the real truth of the matter.

[harry]

I have tried listening to Fox, and found i can't. Try it sometime. It's as much the method and tone as well as the blunt statements. Same topic presented by republicans or democrats sounds more gentle on pbs.

[admin]

I have tried listening to Fox, and found i can't. Try it sometime. It's as much the method and tone as well as the blunt statements. Same topic presented by republicans or democrats sounds more gentle on pbs.

They do have a style that is grating on the nerves if you're not used to it. I'm trying to avoid being irrational politically by trying to find books by right wing authors as well as left wing. The problem in the US that makes this especially difficult right now is that the shrill voices are coming from the right and only those voices most of the time. I don't think it's sunk to that level in Canada though it may yet do so.