So, Chris Mooney is publishing a book on the conservative brain, linking it with the Republican party and the denial of the theory of global warming. But, as usual, he's looking at results and looking for causes that, from where I sit, are merely correlations.
Well, I think we need to understand three points in order to understand why conservatives act this way. And I will list them here, before going into them in more detail:
1.Conservatism is a Defensive Ideology, and Appeals to People Who Want Certainty and Resist Change.
2. "Morality" Impels Climate Denial -- and in particular, conservative Individualism.
3.Fox News is the Key "Feedback Mechanism" -- whereby people already inclined to believe false things get all the license and affirmation they need.
And what I'd argue is that the people who have found a home in the Republican party are people who suffer from some sensory deficits. That is, they are lacking most, if not all, of the following:
sense of time
sense of direction
sense of order
sense of connection
sense of surroundings
sense of place
sense of sequence
sense of temperature
sense of rhythm
sense of situation
They exist in the center of the universe, looking out and, if they don't see something, it doesn't exist. So, since they can't see themselves, their sense of self is missing, as well.
Why have these sensorially deprived people found a home in the Republican party? I suspect it's because, being endemically uncertain about their situation and insecure, they appreciate having a leader to tell them what to do and that's what the "re" in the word Republican stands for, a "rex" or leader of and from the public.