Recently, there was an interesting study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. Respondents were shown a drawing of what I would call an irregular ellipse and asked the question: “Is this a circle?” The answers were cross-referenced with the social attitudes of the respondents. Liberals were more likely to identify the irregular ellipse as a circle than were conservatives. The people who thought the thing that wasn’t a circle was a circle were the same people who tend to be in favour of same-sex marriage, immigration, the legalisation of marijuana and government aid for the unemployed. People who thought it wasn’t a circle were the type who prefer government expenditure to be on the military, don’t like immigration or same-sex marriage and are