The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain
by George Lakoff
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Book Summary Information
Author: George LakoffEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2008-05-29
ISBN: 0670019275
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Viking Adult
Book Reviews of The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain
Book Review: A marginal contribution to Lakoff's body of work
Summary: 4 Stars
If you're not already familiar with George Lakoff's political theories (which are based on his theories of cognitive linguistics and metaphorical thought), then I'm afraid I can't really recommend this book. Though this book does provide a cursory overview of Lakoff's earlier findings, I'm not convinced that he provides enough information to bring the novice reader up to speed. Before you read this book, I'd strongly recommend that you read some of Lakoff's earlier books. I'd especially recommend reading "Moral Politics"; but you might also want to read "Whose Freedom?" before tackling this. (And, if you're really ambitious, and want to fully understand what Lakoff is talking about, I'd also recommend "Philosophy in the Flesh", which Lakoff co-wrote with Mark Johnson.) I'd also recommend that you read Drew Westen's "The Political Brain" before reading this. (Lakoff cites Westen repeatedly in this book.)
However, once you've read "Philosophy in the Flesh", "Moral Politics", "Whose Freedom?", and (Westen's) "The Political Brain", then reading this book won't really add all that much to your understanding of the subject. In my opinion, this book represents only a marginal contribution to Lakoff's theory of politics. There are some worthwhile insights here; but they are really just refinements of Lakoff's earlier work -- there are no groundbreaking new discoveries here. I'd recommend this book for anyone who has a very strong interest in political psychology, and who is already familiar with the previous books by Lakoff and by Westen mentioned above. For everyone else, I'd recommend that you try Westen's "The Political Brain" and Lakoff's "Whose Freedom?" first. If you really like both of those books, then you might also like this book (though I'd still recommend that you read Lakoff's "Moral Politics" first).
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Summary of The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain
In What's the Matter with Kansas?, Thomas Frank pointed out that a great number of Americans actually vote against their own interests. In The Political Mind, George Lakoff explains why.As it turns out, human beings are not the rational creatures we've so long imagined ourselves to be. Ideas, morals, and values do not exist somewhere outside the body, ready to be examined and put to use. Instead, they exist quite literally inside the brain-and they take physical shape there. For example, we form particular kinds of narratives in our minds just like we form specific muscle memories such as typing or dancing, and then we fit new information into those narratives. Getting that information out of one narrative type and into another-or building a whole new narrative altogether-can be as hard as learning to play the banjo. Changing your mind isn't like changing your body-it's the same thing.
But as long as progressive politicians and activists persist in believing that people use an objective system of reasoning to decide on their politics, the Democrats will continue to lose elections. They must wrest control of the terms of the debate from their opponents rather than accepting their frame and trying to argue within it.
This passionate, erudite, and groundbreaking book will appeal to readers of Steven Pinker and Thomas Frank. It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in how the mind works, how society works, and how they work together.
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