This archive report was first published on 6 October 2021.
The Psychology of Polarization ¶
Researchers have been studying the link between hubris, intellectualism, and anti-intellectualism, and how it contributes to the polarization in the United States. Hubris, or the expression of unwarranted factual certitude, is prevalent among both intellectuals and anti-intellectuals.
According to a study by David C. Barker, Morgan Marietta, and Ryan DeTamble, epistemic hubris is associated with both intellectualism and anti-intellectualism, and is a key factor in the development of polarization.
Hubris can lead to a decrease in willingness to compromise with those who hold different views, and can even lead to the rejection of others as stupid or dishonest. This is evident in the work of Clifford Workman, a postdoctoral fellow at the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics at the University of Pennsylvania, who has found that moral conviction plays a key role in the development of hubris.
Published on October 6, 2021, at 12:00 PM
