Scientific American is one of my favorite magazines. I read it cover to cover and learn much about how our world works.
In the June 2023 issue there was a short article about the different tendencies between how liberals and conservatives view the world we live in, and outlined some hope in how we might begin talking together again.
Debunking the long-standing theory that conservatives, on average, see the world as more dangerous than liberals, psychologists Jer Clifton and Nick Kerry at the University of Pennsylvania did a study on the basic (primal) beliefs people hold about the world in which we live. What they discovered surprised them.
Conservatives tend to believe in a hierarchical world where lines between categories or concepts matter. To them, these lines are real and significant. They separate greater value from lesser value and view this as inherent.
Liberals tend to see differences as superficial or even silly. They are more likely to view the world in shades of gray.
Keeping this in mind, it may be up to liberals to actively begin the conversation that will reunite our country by chipping away at the big bold lines surrounding the conservative’s categories. When a conservative thinker mentions an “exception to a rule,” the liberal might try to probe that to find common ground on this one issue for further discussion.
Incremental steps taken together over time may lead to the outcome that we desire, but it will require vigilance on all our parts to watch for openings for dialogue.