This post was derived from an oped by Connor Boyack, President of the libertarian think tank, the Libertas Institute, and founder of the Tuttle Twins book series.

If you follow Dr Jordan Peterson, you may have heard that for the first time, research on left-wing authoritarianism is finally being organized and published.

The messaging by the left for decades has been their self-ascribed mantle of virtue and benevolence. “We know what’s best for the world,” they assert with a confidence that borders on sanctimony.

(You and I know that’s not true, but finally, our gut instincts are getting backup from some serious research.)

A recent Swiss study, published in the Journal of Current Psychology, casts a long shadow on the left’s claim to inherent virtue and well-intentioned governance. The groundbreaking research looks at the psychological roots of left-wing authoritarianism, and challenges the narrative of altruism and social justice that has long been the left’s battle cry.

One of the study’s most striking revelations is the correlation between low verbal intelligence and left-wing aggression.

This finding shatters the image that the authoritarian left has worked so hard to create of themselves as intellectually and morally superior—something that has insulated them from criticism, self-reflection, and consequence.

The study suggests that the aggression and authoritarian impulses attributed to the left stem not from an enlightened or well-informed position but from a place of cognitive limitation.

The notion that “we are the good guys, by definition, we cannot do wrong” has been a convenient shield for the left, painting any suggestion of authoritarian tendencies as something alien to their ideology. However, the study shows a starkly different reality. Specifically, that narcissism, psychopathy, and low verbal intelligence are significant drivers of the aggressive, revolutionary zeal that characterizes much of left-wing authoritarianism.

This uncomfortable truth raises profound questions about the left’s self-proclaimed virtuous intent.

If the foundation of their ideology is not a commitment to altruism or social justice but is instead a manifestation of unhealthy psychological traits and cognitive limitations, where does that leave their claim to moral and intellectual high ground?

The research coming out won’t come as a surprise to many of us. We’ve watched as left-wing authoritarianism has found it’s way to the upper levels of nearly all of our institutions.

And we’ve seen what kind of fruit it bears.

While all forms of authoritarianism are abhorrent, it definitely feels like the left has gotten a free-pass for a really long time. It’ll be interesting to see how these studies are received, and if they’ll be given their time in the spotlight, or if the powers that be will see them secreted away—out of sight and (they hope) out of mind.

This is one of the reasons we first set out to create the Tuttle Twins books. We knew we needed to create a series that didn’t just tell stories, but that actually served as a critical counterpoint to the narrative of inherent left-wing virtue (which is almost always authoritarian in nature).