> So in your opinion, there was a "right" choice to make, and a wrong choice? Why let people vote, then?
Of course in my opinion there was a right and a wrong choice. If I didn't think that, I wouldn't have an opinion, would I? The "better" was in quotes because I appreciate that it is subjective. I can't say with absolute certainty that one option is better than another because I don't have perfect information.
We prefer democracy because in general it leads to far better outcomes in general than the alternatives that have been tried. That doesn't mean I don't think we often vote badly in individual votes.
> Can't you just absorb that older people voted rationally, based on evidence and distinct life choices that aren't necessarily stupid?
No, I cannot. No one votes entirely rationally, and I certainly include myself. People tend to vote according to their emotions, and because of a range of cognitive biases. A case in point:
> One point which tips the votes is the "L." group is so dictatorial about their vision of right, and that makes a huge group tip for the alternative, the Trump/Brexit vote.
Casting a vote because you are annoyed at your political opponents being confident about their views makes no sense logically. This is an emotional reaction rather than a sober assessment of what is best for yourself, your country and the world. Surely the questions of jobs, climate change, scientific research, health and so on are vastly more important than punishing a certain group's mindset?
I feel that the Trump/Brexit campaigns won because they were far better at manipulating these kind of reactions than because they presented better arguments. I think any objective assessment of the respective campaigns would conclude they or their supporters spread more misinformation. That doesn't mean they were with certainty the wrong choice, just that I don't like how we got there.
> Which is exactly the lack of listening that is killing our democracies.
I have the opposite opinion. The increasing emphasis on making decisions by emotion as in "our opponents aren't listening to us enough" is doing more harm to democracy. Less reliance on personal experience and more reliance on logical argument and facts please.
Of course in my opinion there was a right and a wrong choice. If I didn't think that, I wouldn't have an opinion, would I? The "better" was in quotes because I appreciate that it is subjective. I can't say with absolute certainty that one option is better than another because I don't have perfect information.
We prefer democracy because in general it leads to far better outcomes in general than the alternatives that have been tried. That doesn't mean I don't think we often vote badly in individual votes.
> Can't you just absorb that older people voted rationally, based on evidence and distinct life choices that aren't necessarily stupid?
No, I cannot. No one votes entirely rationally, and I certainly include myself. People tend to vote according to their emotions, and because of a range of cognitive biases. A case in point:
> One point which tips the votes is the "L." group is so dictatorial about their vision of right, and that makes a huge group tip for the alternative, the Trump/Brexit vote.
Casting a vote because you are annoyed at your political opponents being confident about their views makes no sense logically. This is an emotional reaction rather than a sober assessment of what is best for yourself, your country and the world. Surely the questions of jobs, climate change, scientific research, health and so on are vastly more important than punishing a certain group's mindset?
I feel that the Trump/Brexit campaigns won because they were far better at manipulating these kind of reactions than because they presented better arguments. I think any objective assessment of the respective campaigns would conclude they or their supporters spread more misinformation. That doesn't mean they were with certainty the wrong choice, just that I don't like how we got there.
> Which is exactly the lack of listening that is killing our democracies.
I have the opposite opinion. The increasing emphasis on making decisions by emotion as in "our opponents aren't listening to us enough" is doing more harm to democracy. Less reliance on personal experience and more reliance on logical argument and facts please.