The Political Mind: A Cognitive Scientist's Guide to Your Brain and Its Politics » (Reprint)

George Lakoff is Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley.

A groundbreaking scientific examination of the way our brains understand politics from a New York Times bestselling author

One of the world 's best-known linguists and cognitive scientists, George Lakoff has a knack for making science make sense for general readers. In his new book, Lakoff spells out what cognitive science has discovered about reason, and reveals that human reason is far more interesting than we thought it was. Reason is physical, mostly unconscious, metaphorical, emotion-laden, and tied to empathy-and there are biological explanations behind our moral and political thought processes. His call for a New Enlightenment is a bold and striking challenge to the cherished beliefs not only of philosophers, but of pundits, pollsters, and political leaders. The Political Mind is a passionate, erudite, and groundbreaking book that will appeal to anyone interested in how the mind works and how we function socially and politically.

Preface xiii

Introduction: Brain Change and Social Change 1

Part I How the Brain Shapes the Political Mind 17

Chapter 1 Anna Nicole on the Brain 21

Chapter 2 The Political Unconscious 43

Chapter 3 The Brain's Role in Family Values 75

Chapter 4 The Brain's Role in Political Ideologies 93

Part II Political Challenges for the Twenty-first-Century Mind 111

Chapter 5 A New Consciousness 117

Chapter 6 Traumatic Ideas: The War on Terror 125

Chapter 7 Framing Reality: Privateering 133

Chapter 8 Fear of Framing 145

Chapter 9 Confronting Stereotypes: Sons of the Welfare Queen 159

Chapter 10 Aim Above the Bad Apples 163

Chapter 11 Cognitive Policy 169

Chapter 12 Contested Concepts Everywhere 177

Part III The Technical Is the Political 191

Chapter 13 Exploring the Political Brain 195

Chapter 14 The Problem of Self-interest 201

Chapter 15 The Metaphors Defining Rational Action 209

Chapter 16 Why Hawks Win 223

Chapter 17 The Brain's Language 231

Chapter 18 Language in the New Enlightenment 243

Afterword: What If It Works? 267

Acknowledgments 273

Notes 275

Index 283