Reply #16: Nature Vs Nurture.

[drm604]

Let's not make the mistake of assuming that this difference is necessarily genetic or inborn.

Scientists at New York University and UCLA showed through a simple experiment to be reported Monday in the journal Nature Neuroscience that political orientation is related to differences in how the brain processes information.

Notice that they say that it is related to processing differences. What it doesn't say is which comes first.

Are differences in thinking caused by differences in brain function, or are differences in brain function caused by differences in thinking? That seems to be a question which this study doesn't answer, at least not that I can tell from the article.

It's entirely possible that the differences in brain functioning are due to upbringing rather than DNA. I suppose it might even be possible that adults could be retrained to be more accepting of ambiguity and thus to use their brain differently.

So let's not just assume that hardcore right-wingers are beyond hope. They might be, but this study doesn't appear to prove that.