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Premise Disputes and Political Ideology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2020

David C. Barker Open the ORCID record for David C. Barker [Opens in a new window]  and
Morgan Marietta Open the ORCID record for Morgan Marietta [Opens in a new window]
David C. Barker*
Affiliation:
Department of Government, American University, Washington, DC, USA
Morgan Marietta
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA, USA
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

A substantial body of scholarship highlights the role of core values as elements of liberalism–conservatism. However, researchers have yet to fully appreciate the contribution of premises, or abstract descriptive beliefs. This disjuncture has occurred despite the fact that for centuries, philosophers have used premises about human nature and society to ground their religious, political and economic theories. In the observational and experimental studies described in this article, the authors examine the extent to which such premise disputes stand independently from value conflicts as ideological ingredients. The findings suggest that premises are distinct and meaningful elements of political cognition, analogous in importance to several well-worn values.

Keywords

premisesvaluesideologypublic opinionpolitical psychology
Type
Article
Information
British Journal of Political Science , Volume 52 , Issue 1 , January 2022 , pp. 300 - 319
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

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