The dimensionality of politics
Most political science research is based on a 1 dimensional model of politics: left vs. right. However, this model is actually and obviously false in a nontrivial way. Take studies…
Philosophers and reason: more logic, less socialism
Philosophers seem particularly apt at coming up with bad ideas. Maybe this is just because they are so good at coming up with ideas in general. If we assume that…
Who’s prejudiced? Who’s a conspiracy theorist? Sampling bias in social science
You have no doubt heard that conservatives are more prejudiced and just generally stupid than leftists. For instance, LiveScience in 2012: And in 2017 Vox talks openly about how all…
New study out: Will Intelligent Latter-day Saints and Smart Conservatives Inherit the Earth?
Ed Dutton and I have a new study out: Kirkegaard, E. O. W., & Dutton, E. (2022). Will Intelligent Latter-day Saints and Smart Conservatives Inherit the Earth? Differential Selection for…
New study on the effect of university education on political views in the UK
Someone sent me this new study that I hadn't included in my review from back in January: Scott, R. (2022). Does university make you more liberal? Estimating the within-individual effects…
How bad is the Hungarian democracy? A quantitative approach
Hungarian president Viktor Orbán is not popular with western media and academics. This is obvious as he is a national conservative, and that's the least favorite group according to journalist…
Secular genetic-phenotype paradoxes: the Flynn effect and beyond
The Flynn effect is famously the result that IQ scores seem to keep going up. That is, at least, they did so from 1917 until 2010 or so (when decline…
Book review: Public Choice Theory and the Illusion of Grand Strategy by Richard Hanania
The ever-funny Richard Hanania has published his first book: Public Choice Theory and the Illusion of Grand Strategy: How Generals, Weapons Manufacturers, and Foreign Governments Shape American Foreign Policy. You…
The conservative advantage in mental health keeps replicating
Back in May 2020, I published a paper provocatively titled Mental Illness and the Left. It was based on the common observation (stereotype!) that conservatives seem less prone to mental…
Your job, their job, and politics
Most people know that political opinions are related to which job people are in. But which exactly? While there are many ways to quantify this, two teams looked at donations…