Jordan B. Peterson Podcast #397 – Dr. Kevin Roberts

The Heritage Foundation: Responsibility and Meaning | Dr. Kevin Roberts | EP 397

Think tanks are quasi-academic institutions that focus on research to affect the outcome of public policy. They may focus on a certain set of public policy issues, and their purpose is to influence the outcome of public policy at the federal, state, or local level. Some think tanks use research to hire people as lobbyists to directly influence public policy, while others only focus on the research.

The United States has the most robust and vibrant system of think tanks across the political spectrum in the world. While think tanks are fairly distributed across the political spectrum, the proportion of high-end think tanks on the political right has increased in the last 25-30 years. This increase is a result of the conservative movement maturing and the need for conservative think tanks to emerge due to the lack of conservatives in universities at the faculty level, especially in the social sciences and humanities.

Key Takeaways

• Think tanks are quasi-academic institutions that focus on research to affect the outcome of public policy.
• The United States has the most robust and vibrant system of think tanks across the political spectrum in the world.
• The proportion of high-end think tanks on the political right has increased in the last 25-30 years due to the conservative movement maturing and the need for conservative think tanks to emerge.

Understanding Think Tanks

Think tanks are quasi-academic institutions that conduct research on public policy issues with the purpose of influencing the outcome of public policy. They can be focused on a particular set of public policy issues and may hire lobbyists to directly influence policy outcomes. The research done at think tanks is different from that done by professors as it is aimed at affecting the outcome of public policy.

There are many think tanks across the political spectrum in the United States, with the highest concentration being in Washington DC. The US has the most robust and vibrant system of think tanks across the political spectrum in the world.

The number of high-end think tanks in the US is fairly distributed across the political spectrum, although in the last 25-30 years, the proportion of high-end think tanks on the political right has increased. This is due to the conservative movement maturing and the fact that there are virtually no conservatives in universities at the faculty level, especially in the social sciences and humanities, where most research that pertains to policy would otherwise be conducted.

The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank that plays a significant role in research on conservative policies. The foundation's president, Dr. Kevin Roberts, has firsthand experience of being politically conservative in the social sciences and humanities, where conservatives are in small numbers. This reality has led to the emergence of a growing number of conservative think tanks in the US, with many conservatives leaving academia to work for public policy organizations.

Think tanks have a practical utility in that they provide research and analysis on public policy issues that can be used by policymakers at the local, state, and national levels. They also provide a platform for intellectual combat, which should be championed against all odds.

Political Spectrum in Think Tanks

Think tanks are quasi-academic institutions that focus on research with the aim of affecting public policy outcomes. They are not limited to any particular political persuasion and can be found on the political left, right, or center. The purpose of the research conducted by think tanks is to influence public policy outcomes, whether at the federal, state, or local level. Some think tanks focus on advocacy, hiring lobbyists to directly influence public policy outcomes.

In the United States, there are approximately a dozen to fifteen high-end think tanks operating across the political spectrum. While the proportion of high-end think tanks on the political right has increased in the last 25 to 30 years, think tanks are fairly distributed across the political spectrum. The United States has the most robust and vibrant system of think tanks across the political spectrum of any place in the world.

Conservative think tanks have emerged in the United States due to the small number of politically conservative professors in the social sciences and humanities, where most of the research that pertains to policy would otherwise be conducted. Many politically conservative professors have chosen to work directly for think tanks, especially those that want to work on higher education policy or education policy at large.

The political spectrum in think tanks is not limited to just the left and right. Think tanks in the center also exist, and their research focuses on a particular set of public policy issues. The purpose of their research may differ from that of a think tank on the left or right.

In summary, think tanks are research institutions that focus on affecting public policy outcomes. They are not limited to any particular political persuasion and can be found on the political left, right, or center. The United States has the most robust and vibrant system of think tanks across the political spectrum of any place in the world.

Role of Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is a conservative think tank that conducts research on public policy issues with the aim of influencing the outcome of public policy. The foundation is one of the high-end think tanks in the United States, with a focus on promoting conservative policies.

The research conducted by the Heritage Foundation is used to influence public policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Some think tanks hire lobbyists to directly influence public policy outcomes, while others focus on advocacy.

The Heritage Foundation is based in Washington DC and is one of the many conservative think tanks operating in the US. While think tanks are distributed across the political spectrum, the proportion of high-end think tanks on the political right has increased in the last 25 or 30 years.

The emergence of conservative think tanks in the US can be attributed to the lack of politically conservative professors in the social sciences and humanities, where most of the research that pertains to policy would otherwise be conducted. Many conservative professors have turned to think tanks to conduct research on conservative policies.

The Heritage Foundation plays a significant role in promoting conservative policies, particularly in the areas of higher education and education policy. The foundation's research has helped shape public policy outcomes in the US, making it a crucial player in the conservative policy landscape.

Conservative Presence in Academia

Think tanks are quasi-academic institutions that focus on research to affect the outcome of public policy. They may focus on a certain set of public policy issues, and the research they conduct is aimed at influencing the outcome of public policy at the local, state, or national level. While some think tanks only focus on research, others use that research to hire lobbyists to directly influence public policy. The United States has the most robust and vibrant system of think tanks across the political spectrum of any place in the world.

There are currently about a dozen to fifteen high-end think tanks operating in the US, and they are fairly distributed across the political spectrum. However, in the last 25 or 30 years, the proportion of high-end think tanks on the political right has increased, as the conservative movement has matured. Many of these think tanks are based in Washington DC, although some are based elsewhere in New York or Texas. A growing number of state-based groups are affecting not just their own state policy but also federal policy.

The emergence of conservative think tanks in the US is partly due to the fact that there are virtually no conservatives in universities at the faculty level, especially in the social sciences and humanities, where most of the research that pertains to policy would otherwise be conducted. Many conservatives in these fields have left academia to work directly for public policy organizations, especially those that focus on higher education policy or education policy at large.

The social sciences and humanities are often dominated by left-leaning individuals, and this has led to some accusations of political corruption and a lack of diversity in thought. For example, social psychology, which focuses on the effect of group affiliation on psychological processes, is a radically leftist subdiscipline that is often accused of being corrupt. Some social psychologists have insisted that there is no such thing as left-wing authoritarianism, and that authoritarianism is only a conservative or right-wing phenomenon. However, recent research has shown that there is, in fact, left-wing authoritarianism, and that it has been responsible for more misery and death in the 20th century than right-wing authoritarianism.

Political Corruption in Social Sciences

Think tanks are quasi-academic institutions that focus on research to affect the outcome of public policy. They may focus on a certain set of public policy issues, and the purpose of their research is to influence the outcome of public policy. Some think tanks will only focus on the research, while others will use that research and then hire people to go advocate, that is, to directly influence the outcome of public policy.

The United States has the most robust and vibrant system of think tanks across the political spectrum of any place in the world. There are about a dozen to 15 high-end think tanks in the country, and the proportion of them who are on the political right has increased in the last generation or so. While many think tanks are based in Washington DC, there are also some think tanks on the right that are based in Texas and New York. There is also a growing number of state-based groups that are affecting not just their own state policy but also federal policy.

There is a need for conservative think tanks to emerge because there are virtually no conservatives in universities at the faculty level, and certainly vanishingly few in the social sciences and the humanities, which is where most of the research that pertains to policy would otherwise be conducted. Many conservatives have left academia to work directly for public policy organizations, especially those that want to work on higher education policy or education policy at large.

Social psychology is a subdiscipline that focuses on the effect of group affiliation on psychological processes. It is a radically leftist discipline and is quite corrupt. One of the ways to discover this corruption is by investigating the technical structure of the belief system that makes up progressivism or left-wing thinking, especially left-wing authoritarianism. Social psychologists insist that there is no such thing as left-wing authoritarianism, and that authoritarianism in and of itself is only a conservative or right-wing phenomenon. However, there is evidence that left-wing authoritarianism is responsible for more misery and death in the 20th century than right-wing authoritarianism. Social psychologists did not begin to admit that there might be such a thing as left-wing authoritarianism until 2016, and some of the first research in that area was conducted at that time.

Concept of Left-Wing Authoritarianism

Think tanks, whether they are on the political left, right, or center, start with research, which may focus on a certain set of public policy issues. The purpose of that research is to affect the outcome of public policy. Some think tanks will only focus on the research, while others will use that research and then hire people to go advocate, that is, to directly influence the outcome of public policy. They are quasi-academic institutions, and many people will leave academia to do work at a think tank, although there are many people who are professors full-time at universities who do project or contract-based work for think tanks.

The United States has the most robust, vibrant system of think tanks across the political spectrum of any place in the world. There are approximately a dozen or fifteen high-end think tanks operating in the US, and they are fairly distributed across the political spectrum. However, in the last generation or so, the proportion of high-end think tanks on the political right has increased, and that may be a result of the conservative movement maturing.

It may also be that there has been a need for conservative think tanks to emerge because there are virtually no conservatives in universities at the faculty level, and certainly vanishingly few in the social sciences and the humanities, which is where most of the research that pertains to policy would otherwise be conducted. The relationship between that fact and the emergence of a growing number of conservative think tanks is very direct because many conservatives have said they are just going to work directly for these public policy organizations, especially those that want to work on higher education policy or education policy at large.

Left-wing authoritarianism is a controversial topic that has been a subject of much debate in recent years. Social psychology focuses on the effect of group affiliation on psychological processes and is a radically leftist subdiscipline. One of the ways the corruption of social psychology was discovered was by investigating the technical structure of the belief system that makes up progressivism or left-wing thinking, especially left-wing authoritarianism. The evidence that left-wing authoritarianism exists is compelling, and it has been responsible for more misery and death in the 20th century than right-wing authoritarianism. However, social psychologists did not begin to admit that there might be such a thing as left-wing authoritarianism until 2016, and some of the first research in that area was done by conservatives.

Impact of Left-Wing Authoritarianism

Research conducted by social psychologists has shown that left-wing authoritarianism is a real phenomenon and has been responsible for more misery and death in the 20th Century than right-wing authoritarianism. However, until 2016, social psychologists did not admit that there might be such a thing as left-wing authoritarianism.

The technical structure of the belief system that makes up progressivism or left-wing thinking, especially left-wing authoritarianism, has been found to be corrupt. This has led to the emergence of a growing number of conservative think tanks in the US. Many conservatives have left academia and have started working for public policy organizations, especially those that want to work on higher education policy or education policy.

While disagreement does not have to be disagreeable, intellectual combat is not something to shut down but to champion against all odds. Adversity is a necessary component of growth, and multiple generations of students have now been rendered incapable of facing it while claiming to fight it. It is important to care about the pursuit of truth more than one's feelings.

Think tanks, whether on the political left, right, or center, start with research and may focus on a certain set of public policy issues. The purpose of the research at a think tank is to affect the outcome of public policy. Some think tanks will only focus on the research, while others will use that research and then hire people to go advocate, that is, to directly influence the outcome of public policy.

The United States has the most robust and vibrant system of think tanks across the political spectrum of any place in the world. While the proportion of high-end think tanks on the political right has increased in the last generation or so, they are fairly distributed across the political spectrum. Most of these think tanks are based in Washington DC, although a couple of them are based elsewhere in New York. There are also a growing number of state-based groups that are affecting not just their own state policy but also federal policy.