[dissimulo]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Heineken', 'I')t seems to me that, in general, Democratics, liberals, and leftists are more intelligent than Republicans, conservatives, and right-wingers.

[Heineken]

Gee, I never claimed that GWB is a Machiavellian genius.

My sense is that conservatives follow the established dogma and that liberals attempt to break free of it. That concept is embodied in the terms for these groups themselves.

Thus, it takes creative intelligence to be a liberal. Conservatives need only toe the line. That takes less brains.

Liberals therefore tend to be the Greens who want to create an entirely new world based on sound ecological principles. Conservatives want to keep things as they are, on a path they pigheadedly refuse to acknowledge is doomed.

Perhaps this is only a silly theory, but when you look at the chief standard bearers for these two groups---the presidents---a fairly clear pattern does seem to emerge as analyzed in my earlier post.

[TheTurtle]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dissimulo', ' ')You guys can't even decide if GWB is an idiot or a Machiavellian genius capable of carrying out terrorist attacks on US soil to masterfully manipulate the country to war.

[Daculling]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('dissimulo', 'S')omething must have changed in the way that the Chinese address space is indentified, because I have routinely read PO.com from China during my travels over the last three years. I assume there are probably plenty of other PO.com lurkers that travel China and read the site from there.

[RonMN]

I must admit I completely agree with dissimulo.

To think you're more inteligent that "rightys" simply because of your rabid hatered of bush is...well...wrong.

"leftys" seem to take a bit of data and place their own inconclusive conclusions on it (ie., a blurry pic of something hitting the pentagon means Bush was behind sept. 11, "rightys" are lurkers...therefor they are spying on "us".)

Let's face it...i find the biblical "end of time" a facinating subject...but i don't bother posing it here because i've seen threads like that just flamed out like no other...why should i waste my time? I'm not even arguing that it will happen in that way...i just find the topic interesting...but i've learned from you all to never post such "nonsense"...

I'm not allowed that freedom of speech.

[AgentR]

I'm with you RonMN; people tend to equate agreement with their policy preference as evidence of intelligence.

[Heineken]

Let's remember how the "intelligence" facet of this debate began. It was pointed out that PO.com's members are disproportionately liberal and leftist, as proven by Aaron's demographic data.

For some reason, then, it appears that, on average, liberals are more interested than conservatives in PO theory. Liberals are disproportionately attracted to joining this site, more interested in discussing PO, and more likely to believe in the theory.

The question is, What accounts for this disparity? Don't you think that question is worth investigating? Intelligence must have something to do with it. Or some aspect of intelligence, such as curiosity or social consciousness.

Most of the state of the world today can be laid at the feet of conservative policies. You can hardly claim that the Greens have been running the world.

But many of us maintain, with considerable evidence on our side, that these conservative, pro-business, pro-growth, pro-war policies have been irrational and stupid and that their failure is becoming manifest and may even be fatal.

[AgentR]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Heineken', 'T')he question is, What accounts for this disparity? Don't you think that question is worth investigating?

[Heineken]

Forget Dems and Repubs, AgentR. There are lots of conservative Dems and some liberal or at least moderate Repubs.

I'm talking left and right here.

Scandinavian countries have been run by leftists for decades and enjoy a much higher, and more sustainable, standard of living than we do.

A great example of the ultimate hard-right country is Nazi Germany. And look how long it lasted and what a great lifestyle its people enjoyed.

[AgentR]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Heineken', 'A') great example of the ultimate hard-right country is Nazi Germany. And look how long it lasted and what a great lifestyle its people enjoyed.

[Nightshift]

About China. I came across something interesting in Mark's Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers. It seems China is the only country still engaged in the large-scale production of steam locomotives and has based its railroad system on their continued use. Like the one-child policy, this looks to me like an example of short term sacrifice for long term gain. (After all, there are good reasons everybody else phased out steam engines.)

There's another thing, and this is completely anecdotal. A guy I work with was deployed in Iraq. He says there were Chinese troops there and that yes, he can tell Chinese from Japanese. Maybe I haven't been paying enough attention but it surprised the hell out of me.

Just some info I thought I'd toss in. By the way, I veiw conservatives, ultra-nationalists, and your general "yea, team" types as being the most successfully domesticated humans. Not placing any value judgements on it, but if you compare the intelligence of a domestic species with it's wild counterpart...

[MD]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR', '.').... Any ideology can fail if the leaders engage in counterproductive decision making......

[Heineken]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Heineken', 'A') great example of the ultimate hard-right country is Nazi Germany. And look how long it lasted and what a great lifestyle its people enjoyed.

[AgentR]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Heineken', 'T')he Soviet Union was founded on hard-left principles, but as you note the philosophy was essentially abandoned as the leaders shifted into totalitarianism. I don't consider the Soviet Union a good example of the result of socialist principles, therefore. Sweden and Norway and now Finland are better poster children. Also many of the European countries.

[AgentR]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MD', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR', '.').... Any ideology can fail if the leaders engage in counterproductive decision making......

[Aaron]

[MD]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('MD', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('AgentR', '.').... Any ideology can fail if the leaders engage in counterproductive decision making......

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', '(')China data)

[Revi]

Very interesting. There are a lot of Chinese people, and I guess if only a fraction of them are peak oil aware that's a lot of people. Interesting that Swedes make up the second largest non anglophone country after China. I am Swedish American. Maybe we think alike. Very interesting to see this. Does it include the news part of Peak Oil, or is it just the forums?

[Aaron]

it includes everything