"I keep coming back to the essential problem that in our
increasingly complex society, we are actually required to
hold very firm opinions about highly complex matters that require
analysis from multiple fields of expertise (economics, law,
political science, engineering, others) in hugely complex systems
where we must use our imperfect data to choose among possible
outcomes that involve significant trade offs. This would be OK if
we did not regard everyone who disagreed with us as an ignorant
pinhead or vile evildoer whose sole motivation for disagreeing is
their intrinsic idiocy, greed, or hatred for our essential
freedoms/people not like themselves. Except that there actually
are LOTS of ignorant pinheads and vile evildoers whose sole
motivation etc., or whose self-interest is obvious to everyone but
themselves." --
osewalrus,
2013-01-11