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Old 05-01-2012, 09:48 PM   #47
piercehawkeye45
Franklin Pierce
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 3,695
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ibram View Post
Yeah. Trying to argue that they're literally all sociopaths is obviously false. Arguing that their worldview and policy positions take a stance that fundamentally sociopathically disregards the suffering of others - strangers - is one that, whether you agree or not, is logically sound.
It is logically sound just in the same way that it is logically sound to state liberals (leftists in general) are thieves who steal money since technically the money we earn is our property. The problem with both arguments is its framing. Every political philosophy has its positive and negative aspects and how you view a philosophy largely depends on you personally look at it. So yes, we can look at the glass half empty and assume that the mindset associated with economic conservatism is selfish and be logically sound. Yet, that only paints half the picture. The other half is looking at economic conservatism from another way. Some people truly believe that the best way to help someone is to let them accomplish something themselves. Give a someone a rod and not a fish type mindset. This, I am the first to admit, has pitfalls but it also makes a lot of sense in many other situations. Helping people can create dependencies and there is some truth to the idea that if we let everyone on the boat, everyone drowns.

People with those of mindsets are not necessarily selfish people. Some of these are the most giving people but they would rather give on their own accord and not have government intervention.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Stormieweather
What I actually said was that this attitude "borders on sociopathic"...the, I got mine, screw you, attitude.
Sociopathic behavior is a gradient and people's behavior is very dynamic in that sense so their isn't that much difference. It isn't a black and white divider between sociopathic and borderline sociopathic (which is a real thing) behavior.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DanaC
I remember very clearly, Margeret Thatcher, the doyenne of British conservative politics, and still the beating heart of the party in terms of its political views, telling us that: 'There is no such thing as society'

That is a sociopathic political stance.
How is that exactly sociopathic? I understand how sociopaths could gravitate towards that but I don't see how it sociopathic itself?
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