Leftist Lawyer on Nostr: The existence of #conservative #lawyers will always baffle me. Why, you ask? Please ...
The existence of #conservative #lawyers will always baffle me.
Why, you ask?
Please allow me a bit to explain.
As foundation, there’s a lot of research out there demonstrating that conservatives, on average, are less cognitively complex than #liberals (now do studies on libs v. #Leftists).
It’s a #tribal thing that we’re all naturally born with. We are hardwired, through heuristic mental adaptations, to see the world in black and white terms.
Education and certain experiences teach us that the world really doesn’t work that way. It’s complex. It’s ambiguous. It’s a million shades of gray.
You don’t necessarily get that though through a STEM education. There, most of the time, there really are right and wrong answers to problems — black vs. white.
The liberal arts, to which the study of law belongs, are a different story. Ambiguity thrives and there are no right or wrong answers … only probabilities based on factual context.
Many law students struggle mightily with this concept. You learn quickly in law that there are no right or wrong answers. The talent lies in being able to cogently analyze the strengths and weaknesses in fact patterns and generate probable outcomes.
So, I wrap all the way back around. Lawyers are trained and judged on their ability to resist black and white thinking and generate nuanced probable outcomes.
I practice with a conservative lawyer. And, it’s amazing to see him do his thing in the court room, and then take his tie off and immediately revert back to his default black and white political thinking.
I guess some people just become inured to cognitive dissonance.
Why, you ask?
Please allow me a bit to explain.
As foundation, there’s a lot of research out there demonstrating that conservatives, on average, are less cognitively complex than #liberals (now do studies on libs v. #Leftists).
It’s a #tribal thing that we’re all naturally born with. We are hardwired, through heuristic mental adaptations, to see the world in black and white terms.
Education and certain experiences teach us that the world really doesn’t work that way. It’s complex. It’s ambiguous. It’s a million shades of gray.
You don’t necessarily get that though through a STEM education. There, most of the time, there really are right and wrong answers to problems — black vs. white.
The liberal arts, to which the study of law belongs, are a different story. Ambiguity thrives and there are no right or wrong answers … only probabilities based on factual context.
Many law students struggle mightily with this concept. You learn quickly in law that there are no right or wrong answers. The talent lies in being able to cogently analyze the strengths and weaknesses in fact patterns and generate probable outcomes.
So, I wrap all the way back around. Lawyers are trained and judged on their ability to resist black and white thinking and generate nuanced probable outcomes.
I practice with a conservative lawyer. And, it’s amazing to see him do his thing in the court room, and then take his tie off and immediately revert back to his default black and white political thinking.
I guess some people just become inured to cognitive dissonance.