I think the knowledge is quite delightful. It fundamentally inverses the idea that “anyone put in the position of [horrible people] would act [horrible]” and shows that it is, in fact, related to a spectrum of cognition. It also shows us that this spectrum of cognition can be shifted by surroundings, in a surprisingly easy way. Plus, we see that the side of the spectrum that we would instinctively consider bad (authoritarian) is not. It is a very useful thing, when tempered by the social group.
Also, it appears to be catching on. One of the bullshit probably AI articles that litters the new tab screen on my browser was a (very) dumbed down version of Altemeyer’s theories. That gives me some hope too.
I think the knowledge is quite delightful. It fundamentally inverses the idea that “anyone put in the position of [horrible people] would act [horrible]” and shows that it is, in fact, related to a spectrum of cognition. It also shows us that this spectrum of cognition can be shifted by surroundings, in a surprisingly easy way. Plus, we see that the side of the spectrum that we would instinctively consider bad (authoritarian) is not. It is a very useful thing, when tempered by the social group.
Also, it appears to be catching on. One of the bullshit probably AI articles that litters the new tab screen on my browser was a (very) dumbed down version of Altemeyer’s theories. That gives me some hope too.