Irreconcilable Differences

I've had a number of arguments over the years where logic and information don't seem to settle things one way or the other. My theory is that that fact is due to actual differences of interest - the Sinclair principle that it's very hard to persuade somebody of something when his paycheck depends on his not being persuaded.

The part I have trouble with is the ideological component of such arguments. That is, I have no trouble figuring out why oil executives and coal miners are skeptical of global warming despite the evidence, but why do random right wingers - and not just the bought and paid for right wingers - nod in such ferocious assent.

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