Is a thoughtful conservative an oxymoron?

Research conducted by Scott Eidelman and colleagues from the University of Arkansas suggest that traits associated with conservative ideology are more likely to be expressed in situations where complex cognitive processes are constrained. Here is the basic idea:

Conservative political ideology in Western democracies may be identified by several components, including an emphasis on personal responsibility, acceptance of hierarchy, and a preference for the status quo. These ideological components map closely onto nonideological psychological processes, which support attitudes consistent with political conservatism. We describe how attitudes and behaviors consistent with these components increase as a consequence of thinking that requires little time, effort, or awareness. From this starting point, we develop the argument that political conservatism is promoted when people rely on low-effort thinking. When effortful, deliberate responding is disrupted or disengaged, thought processes become quick and efficient; these conditions promote conservative ideology.

Evidence from four experiments support the basic hypothesis that situations that disrupt complex, effortful processing increase the expression of conservative attitudes. The situations used in the experiments included alcohol intoxication, divided attention, and rapid decision tasks. The authors argue that endorsement of personal responsibility, deference to authority, and desire to maintain the status quo represent our default ideology. Think of it as our basic instinct in situations where we have to act quickly rather than think deeply.

In life-threatening crisis situations, such as catastrophic events, epidemics, and wars, personal responsibility for action, deference to authority, and restoring the status quo as the goal make perfect sense. In these circumstances, negative emotions like fear, anger, and sadness dominate information processing and there is less of a premium on complex cognitions. Your survival is enhanced by taking care of yourself and allowing authorities to efficiently manage the crisis.

These "conservative" traits are likely entrained during childhood. When we are dependent on parents for our survival, individual actions are rewarded or punished, we are expected to defer to our parents, and prefer stability and comfort to uncertainty and change.

The researchers argue that the study shows that humans tend to exhibit conservative traits in circumstances that prevent complex information processing, making it a normal part of our cognitive construction.

Our findings suggest that conservative ways of thinking are basic, normal, and perhaps natural. Motivational factors are crucial determinants of ideology, aiding or correcting initial responses depending on one’s goals, beliefs, and values. Our perspective suggests that these initial and uncorrected responses lean conservative.

The problem comes when people try to portray these "conservative" dispositions as superior. It is not quite so simple. These dispositions are antithetical to social cooperation, empathy, and compassion. Cooperation requires sharing responsibility and rewards. Blind allegiance to authority also fosters status hierarchies that result in unjust control and distribution of resources. Every abusive political system in history has feed the pigs, slaughtered the sheep, pampered the predators. and nailed dissenters to trees. The conservative mindset also undermines innovation and problem-solving in favoring the status quo.

I bring up this point for a simple reason. There has been a deliberate attempt in American society to conflate Christianity with conservative political ideology. That equation is dishonest on many levels. Jesus encouraged his followers to be radically compassionate, inclusive, merciful, forgiving, and unconditionally loving. All of those things require considerable thought and run contrary to self-centered personal reward systems. He also condemned the religious authorities of his day to such an extreme that they had him killed. Finally, he turned over the apple carts of the status quo by telling his followers to value spiritual rather material rewards. And just for good measure he said you did not have to born into a particular tribe to be loved by God.

In an overpopulated and resource-depleted world that requires cooperation, compassion, and effective problem-solving to maximize human survival, thoughtlessness does not seem like a smart option. Of course, that is just my bias.