The Student Room Group

Empirical evidence shows the left-wingers have higher IQ in all its type and aspect

As some of the previous threads have romanticized the right-wingers as, inter alia, stronger physically, independent and self-reliable I am here to scatter this notion with empirical evidence conducted in many Anglophone countries such as the UK, US or Australia that ultimately leads to one conclusion.

If we are ever to believe in scientific laws of cause and effect, we have just discovered that as an IQ increases one's political views swing more towards left-wing, and as it decreases one's political views tend to go in the opposite regressive direction.

That applies to all aspects of politics; be it social or economic.

Many on the right will fail to accept empiricism and will seek to counter it with theoretical mythology as they did since the days of inquisition.

Indeed, the right has even failed to read the message of Adam Smith, such as that contained in Book 1 Chapter 8 'Of Wages of Labour' of Wealth of Nations, never mind to understand the circulation of capital in commodity fetishism explained in exchange and surplus analysis of Marx in 'Das Kapital' (an example is the poor thesis of von Mises on volume I & II) or indeed to understand the bitter struggle of the founding fathers of the US such as Thomas Jefferson.

At the same time they strain every neuron that is left in their brain to preserve the abstract desert stories written by primitive tribesmen that somehow make sense to an alarmingly large proportion of them.

Here is just a sample of endless evidence from the years 2011-2013 that are widely available. Notice that even the liar of utter ignorance - the Daily Mail - has admitted it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2097652/Does-low-IQ-make-right-wing-That-depends-define-left-right.html

http://www.tgdaily.com/general-sciences-features/48586-intelligent-people-more-likely-to-be-left-wing-atheists

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/world-commentary/lefts-moral-superiority-fails-intelligence-test/story-e6frg6ux-1226268096783

http://www.livescience.com/18132-intelligence-social-conservatism-racism.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/study-links-low-intelligence-with-right-wing-beliefs/article543361/

http://www.cnn.co.uk/2010/HEALTH/02/26/liberals.atheists.sex.intelligence/index.html

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1
IQ doesn't give a full picture of somebody's intelligence though.
Reply 2
This study might be of some use if the terms 'left-wing' and 'right-wing' actually meant anything.
Read Atlas Shrugged. Explains everything man.
Original post by ddaappoo
IQ doesn't give a full picture of somebody's intelligence though.


There we go.

I knew this was going to be the main counter-argument from the moment I've seen the title of the thread.

OP, you'll probably need to add that it's intelligence quotient in all kinds not only in the title, but also in the thread as well.

I'm rather pragmatic in my politics but I'm afraid the right will not even bother reading the title or the thread properly so it should be in bold italics.

Coming back to you ddaappoo - yes, but it surely demonstrates something if conducted in all types of intelligence quotient. Even if in 2050 we will find a new way of extracting such data, it's not going to reverse from left to right :biggrin:
Reply 5
Original post by Habsburg
This study might be of some use if the terms 'left-wing' and 'right-wing' actually meant anything.


Exactly. It's pretty stupid because there is intelligent and unintelligent right wing views as there are intelligent and unintelligent left wing views. The unintelligent right wing views may be more stupid but it doesn't mean people with right wing views are less intelligent lmao. Who is more intelligent - a communist or a capitalist? Evidence would suggest the latter is - and capitalism is inherently right wing! If things like racism are classed as right wing then of course right wing people are going to come out more stupid. I'd suspect, however, that people with views that are right wing but not bigoted are as if not more intelligent. People with non extreme right wing views think with the head, not the heart.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 6
Interesting, though there are a few flaws in the theory, add to that the methodology isn't exactly full proof.

You've got to take into account that those with lower IQs will generally be less well off socio-economically and so forth. And the obvious point is that you need a strong definition of 'Left' and 'Right'.
Original post by Habsburg
This study might be of some use if the terms 'left-wing' and 'right-wing' actually meant anything.


A Habsburg in my humble thread? Well I am honoured.

For a reward in Silesian land I advice the great emperor to read the third micro-paragraph that has been specifically constructed for such occasion to highlight that economic, as well as social, aspects of politics were indeed taken into consideration.

I post rather rarely and would not seek to enlarge the amount of threads that are nothing more than ideological crusades bereft of evidence.
Reply 8
Arguably IQ is a function of education rather than being immutable?

However that is, there was research done immediately after the French Presidential election which indicated that the higher the level of education you had, the more likely it was that you would vote for Hollande rather than a right wing candidate.

Interesting.
Reply 9
IQ isn't really indicative of intelligence. That said, this doesn't surprise me. Those on the left seem more idealistic, and I imagine intelligent people can struggle to grasp how those less intelligent than themselves tick.
Reply 10
In terms of statistics such a research question would be almost impossible to answer. I highly doubt that the conclusion would be robust to the inclusion of all determining variables. Plus the definitions of left and right are almost impossible. The fact that society has become more right wing (not in the fascist sense) for the most part over time as we have learnt more suggests this research is wrong.
Reply 11
Original post by tory88
IQ isn't really indicative of intelligence. That said, this doesn't surprise me. Those on the left seem more idealistic, and I imagine intelligent people can struggle to grasp how those less intelligent than themselves tick.


Even though I disagree with this research it clearly is. Virtually all Nobel prize winners will have IQ's over 130 and many over 150 and 160. In physics IQ's of 150+ are probably the norm.

Negged for the truth. It's totally politically correct nonsense to say that IQ isn't indicative of intellect. It clearly is. If you look at virtually all the highest achievers in the toughest academic disciplines their IQ will be extremely high. Of course the correlation won't be perfect as there are many other determining variables such as work ethic.
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 12
Original post by WalkingTolerance
A Habsburg in my humble thread? Well I am honoured.

For a reward in Silesian land I advice the great emperor to read the third micro-paragraph that has been specifically constructed for such occasion to highlight that economic, as well as social, aspects of politics were indeed taken into consideration.

I post rather rarely and would not seek to enlarge the amount of threads that are nothing more than ideological crusades bereft of evidence.


The dichotomy still doesn't entirely satisfy me, though. Do we assume, for instance, that right-wing = capitalism and left wing = socialism? Where'd we put our Mussolinis, de Maistres, Müllers, or our Maurrases?

And I'm afraid the Prussians took most of Silesia from me. :tongue:
(edited 10 years ago)
Reply 13
Original post by stefl14
Even though I disagree with this research it clearly is. Virtually all Nobel prize winners will have IQ's over 130 and many over 150 and 160. In physics IQ's of 150+ are probably the norm.


That doesn't mean that only clever people have high IQs, or that all clever people have high IQs. Just that some clever people n the past have had high IQs. I imagine IQ is an effective indicator when used in conjunction with a number of other measures, but on it's own it just represents an ability to solve certain types of problem. And speaking as someone who has talked with a lot of professional physicists, it really isn't.
Original post by Moosferatu
Read Atlas Shrugged. Explains everything man.


:rofl: no it doesn't, it explains that libertarianism works because Ayn Rand says so...
Reply 15
Original post by tory88
That doesn't mean that only clever people have high IQs, or that all clever people have high IQs. Just that some clever people n the past have had high IQs. I imagine IQ is an effective indicator when used in conjunction with a number of other measures, but on it's own it just represents an ability to solve certain types of problem. And speaking as someone who has talked with a lot of professional physicists, it really isn't.


Oh come on this is politically correct nonsense. If you have a high IQ you are intelligent in the traditional sense. Of course IQ is not the only determining factor of achievement in professions such as physics - to suggest so would be nonsense because intelligence isn't the only factor determining success. Also, the range of problems in IQ tests is quite diverse. Solving problems is intellect.
Original post by Barden
:rofl: no it doesn't, it explains that libertarianism works because Ayn Rand says so...


Well you might wanna read my upcoming book. It's called 'Zeus Farted'. It's a book about how libertarianism works because I say so. Coming to shelves near you in December. It's gonna be a hit, I just know it.
Reply 17
Original post by stefl14
Even though I disagree with this research it clearly is. Virtually all Nobel prize winners will have IQ's over 130 and many over 150 and 160. In physics IQ's of 150+ are probably the norm.

Negged for the truth. It's totally politically correct nonsense to say that IQ isn't indicative of intellect. It clearly is. If you look at virtually all the highest achievers in the toughest academic disciplines their IQ will be extremely high. Of course the correlation won't be perfect as there are many other determining variables such as work ethic.


Only on The Big Bang Theory :lol:
Correlation studies are so hardcore bro.
Original post by Moosferatu
Read Atlas Shrugged. Explains everything man.


works of fantastical fiction won't help people explain anything in real life :wink: :tongue:

Quick Reply

Latest