[extropy-chat] The Psychology of Different Ideologies

[Mike Lorrey]

Post of the month.

--- Hal Finney <hal at finney.org> wrote:
> I did think one comment was unusually perceptive, by Don Gwinn:
> 
> "If one accepts the thesis that social conservatives are motivated to
> stamp out pornography and prostitution by their desire to stamp out
> their own sexual excesses, and that fiscal liberals are terrified of
> tax cuts because they need to suppress their own fixation on money,
> then what is the secret fear/obsession that drives libertarians? ...
> [W]hat a libertarian would be suppressing, it seems to me, would be
> his conviction that he, and maybe everyone, really is dependent on
> outside forces, particularly altruism from government or family. The
> libertarian would prefer to believe in the totally self-made man, but
> the reason the totally self-made man is celebrated is because he is
> the exception. The libertarian believes this, but he doesn't want to
> believe
> it, so he suppresses it by throwing himself into an ideology based on
> the idea that self-reliance and the rejection of collective altruism
> is the answer to all our ills."
> 
> I think this makes a lot of sense and fits much better with the
> analysis
> of the other ideologies.  If the conservative is afraid of his own
> lusts,
> and the liberal is afraid of his own greed, then the libertarian is
> afraid of his own dependency. Each espouses an ideology that promotes
> as a virtue exactly the traits which each one fears that he lacks.
> 
> I'd suggest that it is helpful for Extropians and other
> transhumanists to turn a similar self-critical eye on themselves,
> at least privately. These
> philosophies are brave and bold in their rejection of the conventions
> of the past and their embrace of the possibilities of the future.
> We feel pretty good about ourselves by adopting these views.  But can
> we take a less self-congratulatory tone and look at our true
> motivations more critically?  It can be a good exercise in
> overcoming the comforting
> lies and self-deception that interfere with our perception of the
> truth.

Mike Lorrey
Vice-Chair, 2nd District, Libertarian Party of NH
"Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom.
It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves."
                                      -William Pitt (1759-1806) 
Blog: http://intlib.blogspot.com

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