Let me start off first by sharing with you that I would defnitely be considered "conservative" though one of my best friends believes and thinks like a liberal. I love her dearly! We try to laugh out our differences though it's hard sometimes.

I realize that I am on your side of the fence, and I will choose my words carefully while I try to raise a thought I had regarding this article.

In the article I read regarding liberals being smarter than conservatives, I had to be true to my understanding. Yes, my liberal friend is one of the smartest people I know- she is constantly seeking out information and truth. Unfortunately, I cannot buy the information in this article to be anything but a thought. One reason for that would be this: In the event that my dear liberal friend decides she no longer agrees with the social avenue she was on, and leans more towards a self earned, self taught lifestyle, would that mean that her results on your quiz would change dramatically for the worse? Or, in the even that I, the conservative, began to walk with my dear friend on all social issues, gun law issues, etc etc- would that mean that my scores on your test would suddenly change from horrible to EXTRAORDINARY! "YAY I'M A LIBERAL NOW, I'M SMARTER!!!!"? Well, maybe, but I doubt it.

Well, thanks for reading and please respond!

I think you ask a very important question here.

First off, lets just say that the study is correct. We still can't tell what is the cause and what is the effect. You can't assume that taking up liberal positions will make you smarter. Based on the data in the study, it is just as reasonable to assume that smarter people tend to become liberal (for whatever reason). The study itself is not designed to test this question, let alone why that might be.

I am a very liberal person (secretly of course - the only thing that prevents me from disclosing that I'm a liberal is being aligned to other liberals) but I do refrain from imparting any negative judgment on conservatives as a whole (stubbornness is also a major force in change and well-being in society, let us not forget). I feel this article would have carried much more weight if analyzed by a professional in the field of psychology (and spoke more in depth why a scientific study of this kind shouldn't be taken as fact i.e. why there methods of measurement aren't credible, etc.). I think the route to intelligence and wisdom is much more of a factor than an ideology. Smarter/wiser people tend to have a much greater sense of history, a worldlier mindset and are usually more empathetic - all are factors that make one more adaptive to change; the knowledge that no single opinion, whether revolutionary or archaic, can properly address a problem. That’s why myself and others, particularly smart people (I am not including myself) tend to lean to the left. Intelligence in all things - whether it be art, literature, science - continues to improve and evolve itself through change therefore that mindset will always be married to intellect. Do I think liberals need to get over themselves? Absolutely. Do I think there are extremely bright conservatives? Absolutely. Do I think liberals are smarter than conservatives? My ego says yes, my ironic sense of hypocrisy says no.

I don't think the study infers that liberals are smarter, just more flexible in their ability to shift preconceptions--although that conclusion may be a stretch in this particular, limited study. Read at least parts of the "damning" analysis that Mr. Saletan refers to in his article to learn something of the previous work done on conservative thought processes and their derivations. People who identify as conservative won't like it and won't read it, I suspect, but for inquiring minds it's a real contribution rather than an "us vs. them" ("you vs. we")diatribe.