Conservative vs Liberal Mindset in the Social Imagination...

Not so far back, I posted about the conservative mindset being more stable and able to accept and appreciate a more stable, balanced society... a more secure social reality in the social imagination. Over the years, conservatives tend to favor institutions and practices that guarantee stability.  

In 1959, the chairman of the British Conservative Party, Quintin Hogg said, "Conservatism is not so much a philosophy as an attitude, a constant force, performing a timeless function in the development of a free society, and corresponding to a deep and permanent requirement of human nature itself". That's still true.

What is it that makes one a conservative or a liberal? Is it a personality type, a predisposed mindset or socially acquired as in 'learned'? I want to delve into the personality type of the conservative vs. the liberal mindset in the social imagination. You may not have even given it any thought but there is a significant difference. 

Conservatives, are more cautious whether their caution is a predisposition or learned, such behavior leans to or leads to pause and consideration... caution causes one to have or come to a greater situational awareness; whereas, liberals are constantly seeking novelty because of their strangely self-serving interests - a democratic radicalism which equals an - "am I being served?" attitude. 

Indeed, each of those mindsets "the conservative or liberal" is keenly different... that being one from the other. I plan on going into more detail and you will be surprised. Before I do that, let's look at what Scientific American has to say about such differences. 

    On the whole, research shows, conservatives desire security, predictability and authority more than liberals do, and liberals are more comfortable with novelty...SA

Largely, that is because liberals are self-serving. This stems from their comfort with novelty... for the liberal, the world is a place to explore not to organize. Unless, they can organize it in a way that suits their comfort level which is loose association and democratic radicalism. Now, to some that sounds lovely to some... but in a world such as we live in, loose organization isn't necessarily effective for a majority. Reliable, stable organization that stems from conservatism allows a majority of diverse people to live in security... hence, the conservative mindset is wisely motivated.  

The liberal mindset sees individuals at the center of all social activity; hence, for them, their self-interest is not the same as “selfishness”. Their self-interest is premised on the idea that all individuals have specific (“reasonable”) goals and that they behave in ways that best enables them to achieve those self-interests. How is that bad or wrong? The irony here is that individuals having such a mindset can't be expected to actually care about others in a way that provides security and stability because they are solely concerned with their own individuality and their being served in regards to their 'own' goals.

Liberals want state power to do a lot of things as in take control. Its because of their radical individualism and strange comfort with novelty that they prefer state control. Ironically, at the same time, one might think that they also agree with traditional aspects (as do conservatives) that the state should protect the competitive market, protect property rights, protect the right to be free. Liberals want security in state control not in the hands of the people.... lest their individual interests might not be served. So, liberals aren’t opposed to authority, only to certain kinds of authority. 

They just want to be left out of the picture... so it appears that they virtue signal equal opportunity and justice and conflict resolution. But, they are cowards. They prefer having no reliability in personal and in national matters...hence the state at the helm rather than their own participation. They are in fact, negligent citizens in this respect.

Again, its their preference for and comfort with novelty that  make them self seeking or self interested which is not 'selfishness' really. Its that they prefer to live a life based on feelings and they feel that they are always in the right to be their 'own' person as is everyone else.

Having such a liberal mindset leads to disassociation, disorganization and in the worst case scenario - chaos. Hence, we see today's democratic party is falling apart. The problem is that liberals never want 'personally' to take action or take 'personal' responsibility for their actions. The state is their scapegoat admittedly so or not.

They are the kind of person that won't do anything unless asked. They think its being democratic. Also, being a good democrat means liking to be asked and that you always ask them first. They like to be asked, and they want you to ask them. They treat everything in their life as a 'vote' rather than the duty of a knowledgeable and experienced citizen. They are insulted if you don't ask and heaven forbid that you make a move without asking them first. 

They are unteachable and shout things like, "Please don't lecture me"! Sure, they have the appearance of being teachable as they are drawn to new things (novelty); but, they don't learn and they don't learn from their mistakes because they don't like being told that what they are doing is useless and self serving. They retaliate by telling you that you are a hater, an intolerant person who enjoys conflict, a person who is stuck in the past and cannot move forward. 

One might think, especially if you are a liberal, that I am talking about conservatives. That's the real problem for liberals... they don't see their fault or part in the problems of the wider framework. Because, its  not them that's the problem but the state in control. Their answer to problems is to re-orchestrate the state rather than reflect on their own personal responsibility and their role in society. The answer thus is to change the state... but that also contributes to the problem because changing the state never solves the problem.

Of course, to be fair, conservatives might also like to be asked but NOT in the sense of being a democratic radical about it. They seek to retain stability; and thus, if the well being of stable society is at risk and asking what to do because you don't have a clue what to do... Yes, its better ask someone who does (Not the STATE). 

We, conservatives, don't seek to change the state. We, conservatives, seek to improve and or build on what already exists because we know it has served and continues to serve the greater good and masses in context of stable/secure society; and we know that starts with each and every person - you!

Do you know a liberal? I think everyone does. You know them by their 'radically novel' liberal mindset. They are like mold. They spread and or cling as a parasite to healthy structures until they kill it and then they move on to new novelties. 

 

ONLINE SOURCES ~ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/conservative-and-liberal-brains-might-have-some-real-differences/

complexity.http://bev.berkeley.edu/ipe/IPE%202010/3%20Lecture%20Rational%20Choice.pdf