I said that my next post would discuss why IQ tests don't measure frontal executive functions, but I've found something tangential yet extremely topical which I think should be discussed first.
A reader sent me a link to this Opinion column written by New York Times writer Nicholas D. Kristof: Would You Slap Your Father? If So, You're A Liberal.
The title is clearly meant to grab attention; don't let its provocative nature dissuade you from reading the article. Most of it is remarkably free from partisan bias, although there are one or two bits which are objectionable. Far more important is that it addresses the relationships between 'emotional' reactions, political positions and affiliations, and reason.
It's a short article, brief enough that I don't think I need to sum it up, and of sufficient quality that I can recommend that you peruse it yourself with a clear conscience. Take the two or three minutes required to read it, please, and then comment your thoughts below.
Part of being rational is that ideally we can separate our beliefs from our feelings. I have conservative feelings (as defined by this article) but liberal beliefs (largely because I find that most smart people are liberals). If your beliefs line up with your feelings, that is a bit of a warning sign. (Although I suppose that if we just stick to two categories, there is a 50-50 chance that such alignment would happen by coincidence, so it's not much of a signal.) In my case, the fact that they go the opposite way is somewhat reassuring that I may be on the right track.