to identify those with genes predisposing them to being sociopaths.
I continue not to understand this. A high-functioning sociopath is not the same thing as a sadist. The sociopath’s objective is amassing power and aggrandizement, not making people suffer. There’s no reason to assume the policies they support would be different from those of any other office-holder who wants to keep getting elected.
I’m assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that the chance of a President doing something very bad (such as make himself a dictator) would be higher if he was a sociopath.
Alternatively they might be more willing to shut up and multiply than a candidate who was swayed by their emotions, I want a leader who will happily kick a puppy to increase GDP by 1%.
“[Experiment participants] who indicated greater endorsement of utilitarian solutions had higher scores on measures of Psychopathy, machiavellianism, and life meaninglessness”
We probably want politicians who will do things like push for iodized salt even though it kills older people in formerly-iodine-deficient areas.
I continue not to understand this. A high-functioning sociopath is not the same thing as a sadist. The sociopath’s objective is amassing power and aggrandizement, not making people suffer. There’s no reason to assume the policies they support would be different from those of any other office-holder who wants to keep getting elected.
I’m assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that the chance of a President doing something very bad (such as make himself a dictator) would be higher if he was a sociopath.
Alternatively they might be more willing to shut up and multiply than a candidate who was swayed by their emotions, I want a leader who will happily kick a puppy to increase GDP by 1%.
FiftyTwo might be referring to studies showing that sociopaths are more likely to flip the switch in the trolley problem, or as put in the abstract:
We probably want politicians who will do things like push for iodized salt even though it kills older people in formerly-iodine-deficient areas.