Oh I know plenty of super smart conservatives and you can find famous conservative intellectual online.

I never mean to imply that if you are conservative you must be stupid. It may seem like that because we equate scientists with smart people.

However I don't think every smart person is suitable as a scientists. My point was that to be a good scientist you have to be willing to challenge established conventions.

Conservatism as an ideology varies between countries of course. Conservative in my native Norway are e.g. very different from conservatives in the US or Britain. But I think it is fair to say that the common thread among conservatives in different countries is an aversion towards radical change, and valuing old well established values and norms.

Putting emphasis on established norms and conventions is kind of the opposite of what you got to do as a scientist.

I don't rule out that you can be on the political-right while opposing the establishment. E.g. famous economist Milton Friedman was clearly on the political right, but he was more of a libertarian than a conservative IMHO. He was challenging a lot of the economic establishement. At the same time many of his views on taxation and the poor did not align well with traditional conservatives.

Anyway thanks for you candor. I always think it is probably better if people are a bit harsh or blunt than if they sugar coat everything to the point were you have no idea what they stand for.

I am a leftist so I do like to tease or poke a bit at the political-right, but I am not trying to piss off people or insult them.