Not all people see the world the same way. This is one of the reasons why market economies work better than centrally planned economies. If everyone likes black midsize sedans, you can have one state-owned car manufacturer churn out millions of copies of a standard car, and make significant savings. But not all people have the same taste.
None of this is particularly controversial. But some of these posts will be more controversial. I say that most people don’t look down on how other people see the world differently than how they see the world.
I have met many people who are interested in modern art, and many people who are interested dislike of modern art. In the latter group, I often find disbelief that anyone really likes abstract art. I often hear people suggest that modern art lovers are faking their interest, to appear hip. What’s going on here? Before we answer this question, let’s consider another example.
During my lifetime, there has been a great increase in politics. People no longer just agree with people who have different opinions, they increasingly see the other side as bad people. In general, people will refuse to even date someone with different political views, something that rarely happened when I was young. What’s going on here? It is wrong to suggest that those with different artistic tastes are hypocrites, and it is wrong to suggest that those with different political views are bad.
I do not believe that the rise in political division is due to issues of greater importance. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the world faced a number of very important problems, such as inflation, the nuclear arms race and the Vietnam War. Instead, I believe that the increase in polarization is due to the (mistaken) perception that others see what you see.
People who cannot accept that other people like modern art suffer from a failure of imagination, an inability to understand that other people process visual information differently than they do. People who view opposition voters as bad often fail to understand that not everyone sees political issues the way they do.
Differences of opinion about economic regulations or business taxes rarely create political divisions. Voters understand that issues are complex and that other people may have a different opinion. Polarization is more likely to occur when issues seem more personal to you (rights reform, abortion, affirmative action, etc.) Division increases when political trends diverge more. People tend to gravitate toward their favorite style, and wonder how it is possible for someone to be attracted to the opposite. Over the course of my life, I have seen a growing divide in political styles.
At the same time, religious divisions have been diminishing over time, except when religion takes on an overt political dimension.
Hypochondria is another example. Many doctors will assume that patients are faking an illness if the doctor cannot diagnose the problem. A few decades ago, a colleague (in his 40s) went (very limited) to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston complaining of chest pains. The hospital examined him several times and sent him home, probably considering him a hypochondriac. A few hours later he died of a massive heart attack.
Don’t think you know what’s going on in other people’s minds. You don’t say. Don’t believe your neighbor needs a pain reliever? How did you know? We need free markets precisely because we don’t know what other people see, feel and taste.
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