Not in any straightforward sense of the word. I'd say most of the times he's closer to the liberal position.

The experiment, like much of science, is a model, a reduction... It strips down most variables in order to focus on one thing. A result like this can't be interpreted on its own, and it's always possible to claim that a model has no bearing on a complex reality. It may require an intuitive leap, but this result suggests greater adaptability and flexibility in liberals as compared to conservatives. Surely, these attributes are not always themselves adaptive, and don't always serve society well. I'm a liberal, but it seems to me that resistance to new information has benefits for the individual and the group--which is why these traits have stuck around. Too much openness, too much lability, can surely be bad for a family, community, or state. The way to avoid this may be to admit less information into consideration.

If Saletan wasn't a liberal he wouldn't work for slate.

:)

Saletan is a liberal the way Joe Klein is a liberal. He is far more comfortable with Conservatives than Liberals and perpetually fighting dirty hippies that exist only in his mind. Not a friend to other liberals, rather the type fox news has on to represent the "liberal" position.

The methodology described in this study is valid - I've seen it used elsewhere (for example in tests of unconcious bias).

It is highly doubtful that the differences measured can be extrapolated to "liberals are smarter". But I doubt that was the intent of the researchers. Rather, as scientists do, they are reducing a complex situation to measureable bits so those bits can be tested. Over time, a new and emperical framework for what it means to be liberal or conservative can be constructed.

Finally, the unfocused rage at the anger end of the article was something. Saletan, whose judgements on new tech have always seemed to be based on emotion, completely went off the rails there. I haven't seen that much personal anger in an editorial in a long time.

your post calls to mind that old saw: "A liberal is a man too open-minded to take his own side."

While I agree with you, it does seem ironic to call for a more open-minded reception to the virtues of narrow-mindedness.

ytomer:

I'm a liberal, but it seems to me that resistance to new information has benefits for the individual and the group--which is why these traits have stuck around.

But conservatives were "more likely to make errors of commission." They weren't too skeptical.