[illinoissmith]

"That's true at a high level, but deep down we're all wired for socialism because, in small tribal units, it confers a survival advantage."

Thus things like, say, fervency over high school football.

And yet, there is also a survival advantage to catching on quickly (through conscious observation and rational thought) to vitally important change. So the tendency you talk about is, perhaps in some people more than others, tempered significantly by another force - one that pushes toward belief and action and emotional investment based on observation and calculation, rather than based on gut tribal instincts.

"We haven't evolved the right instincts for social structures larger than a dozen or so. That's why even freepers, in a pinch, usually turn out to be statists."

Yes, but we have evolved conscious thought and reasoning ability.

There is a method of preventing that default setting from arising, it involves knowledge of that setting, of the problems with that setting, and of the particular reasons for a particular alternative perspective. That method is education.

Sadly, education has been socialized in the West, and what passes for it is largely dysfunctional for this purpose. If anything, what passes for it actually ends up reinforcing the "default" setting.

[Shalom Israel]

Yes, but we have evolved conscious thought and reasoning ability.

I often seriously doubt that. But I specifically cited "instincts" rather than "intellect", because in case of a tie, instincts usually win. And all you need is, say a nice big hurricane, and even libertarian-leaning freepers are suddenly squealing for the tribal elders to take care of us.

Sadly, education has been socialized in the West, and what passes for it is largely dysfunctional for this purpose.

I despise western primary and secondary education as much as the next guy--we homeschool. But show me the country where education has allowed a majority to overcome their socialistic impulses. Galt's Gulch doesn't exist.