Scientific American - How Identity, Not Issues, Explains the Partisan Divide

[earthshine]

... Americans are increasingly divided not just on the issues but also on their willingness to socialize across the political aisle. It is normal that society manifests new social cleavages as it heals old ones. However, when identities are fused with policies that have vast, long-term consequences (e.g., war, taxes, or the Paris Agreement), these divisions imperil our ability to select policies based on their expected outcomes. To paraphrase anthropologist John Tooby, forming coalitions around policy questions is disastrous because it pits our modest urge for truth-seeking against our voracious appetite to be good group members ...

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-identity-not-issues-explains-the-partisan-divide/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily-digest&utm_content=link&utm_term=2018-06-19_featured-this-week&spMailingID=56839234&spUserID=MzMyMzYxNzkxNDY1S0&spJobID=1422719522&spReportId=MTQyMjcxOTUyMgS2