[gedy]

The idea that people are blank slates as children and of equal capabilities aside from their environment is so prominent in this country. Many people are very dogmatic about this, so I wonder where this belief comes from? Religious and/or Leftist political theory?

[dvanduzer]

Aristotle[0] is credited with starting that conversation.

But the belief that humans have "equal capabilities aside from their environment" is held by almost nobody. Most disagreements are about what we should do about both unequal capability and unequal environment. Dogmatism enters when we disagree over why anything should be done.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tabula_rasa

[wallflower]

B.F. Skinner, the father of behavioral psychology

“Give me a child and I'll shape him into anything.”

[tptacek]

Reluctance to accept the genetic mental superiority of specific "races" of people isn't a leftist principle. The left has no proprietary claim on egalitarianism.

[kapitza]

Wut? searches mental database for any trace of right-wing egalitarians... You must be thinking of... Nietzsche? Definitely not Nietzsche. Maistre? Mmm... no. Can't be Maistre. Bonald? Filmer? Okay, you win, I give up.

In case you're wondering how this plays out in practice:

http://www1.udel.edu/educ/gottfredson/reprints/2009academicf...

[tptacek]

"Right-wing" means something different from "rightward on the right-left spectrum". I too would have a hard time coming up with an example of a "right-wing" egalitarian. Reihan Salam might be a decent example of a right-leaning egalitarian.

[kapitza]

A: "Dogs have no proprietary claim on barking."

B: "Wolves don't bark. No other canid barks."

A: "My neighbor's wolf barks all the time. Drives me crazy."

B: "That might lead you to suspect that your neighbor's 'wolf' is actually a wolf-dog. Or maybe just a husky? You should get out more, meet some actual wolves..."

[tptacek]

I'm a little lost. Is your argument here that there's no such thing as an egalitarian conservative?

[kapitza]

Depends on whether you're willing to call a wolf-dog a wolf.

East Coast coyotes are apparently full of dog DNA, as well as wolf DNA. So maybe they bark, or even howl a bit. But I maintain that barking remains a dog thing.