From: pjs269@tijc02.uucp (Paul Schmidt)
Subject: Re: Programmers and Libertarians (was: Re: [misc.activism.progressive] Clinton Office Requests Comments)
Organization: Advocates for Self-Government - Davy Crockett Chapter
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Date: Tue, 5 Jan 93 17:19:11 GMT

lachman@netcom.com (Hans Lachman) writes:

>My guess is that the correlation between programmers and
>Libertarians is due to the fact that programmers (the smart
>ones at least) keenly understand the KISS principle (Keep
>It Simple, Stupid).
..
>    Could this be a reason why programmers like libertarianism?
>
>Hans Lachman
>lachman@netcom.com

This is a very interesting topic and there are many theories.  One thing
that is interesting is the temperment theory developed by Jung with a
very popular test written by Myers-Briggs.  This test catagorizes people
into four major temperments (the more detailed has 16 catagories with
some people scoring on the border.)  I hate being pigeon-holed so I
don't normally like catagorizing people but this system is very useful.
The four major catagories are:

	Traditionalists - Like tradition, feel a sense of duty,
		patriotioc, pillars of community
	Adventurists - Action oriented, risk takers, work with tools
	Compassionate - Communicators, romantics, concern for other
		people
	Scientists - Rational, thoughtful, innovative, inventors

None of these temperments are better or worse, they are just the way you
are.  People's basic motivation, their career, and their choice of mate
is influenced by this temperment.

The biggest catalyst in the modern libertarian movement was Ayn Rand.
Her book "Atlas Shrugged" makes her probably the most important
libertarian philosopher in our times.  Her basic temperment was
"Scientific" and she, although was brilliant in philosophy, had
difficulty understanding that people had different temperments and
appreciating them.  But maybe that was how she had to be in the then
male-dominated world of philosophy.

Of course, her books appealed to other "scientific" temperments and at
one point the libertarian movement probably consisted of more scientific
temperment types than any other.  But in the world the percentages are:

	Tradition	38%
	Adventure	38%
	Compassion	12%
	Scientific	12%

Because of historical reasons, Scientific temperment types picked up the
ideas first and wrote and convinced people with their own language,
appealing mostly to other scientific types.

Computer programmers will also have a tendency to be of the scientific
temperment.  Therefore there is a high correlation between computer
programmers and libertarians.

It is also interesting to note that other professions attract other
types.  Ministers, teachers, and journalists fall into the
compassionate type.  Race care driving, mechanics, and EMS personel are 
adventure.  It is actually fortunate that we are not all the same and
are allowed to chose the best profession to suit our own temperment.

If you would like to learn more about temperment types, the book "Please
Understand Me" can explain the different types.  This book can be
ordered from the Advocates for Self-Government 1-800-932-1776.  (The
Advocates are a non-profit organization and I get no compensation for 
any book sales.)
-- 
Paul Schmidt: Advocates for Self-Government, Davy Crockett Chapter President
706 Judith Drive, Johnson City, TN 37604, (615)283-0084, uunet!tijc02!pjs269
"Freedom seems to have unleashed the  creative energies of the people -- and
leads to ever higher levels of income and social progress."  --  U.N. report
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk