Berkeley professor George Lakoff has some interesting comments on the difference in world views of conservatives and liberals in an October 2003 interview. In a nutshell, he says that conservatives assume that "the world is dangerous and difficult and that children are born bad and must be made good." Soi-disant progressives, on the other hand, believe "the world is basically good and can be made better and that one must work toward that. Children are born good; parents can make them better." (To me it seems blindingly obvious that both views contain crucial elements of truth.)
Here's an excerpt: