The Political Mind: Understanding How Voters Think

Progressives may have been fighting a losing battle in the United States for the last thirty years, largely because a majority of citizens might be voting against their own interests. According to George Lakoff, this is because people do not think about politics with a logician’s rationality, but use a deeper, unconscious rationality of values, metaphors, frames, and emotions. In The Political Mind: Why You Can’t Understand 21st-Century American Politics with an 18th-Century Brain, Professor Lakoff argues that when one sees how our brains really work, one can see why voters’ deepest values matter most, and why values, authenticity, and trust—not just policies—are paramount in elections.

George Lakoff sees the current presidential election as the opportunity Democrats need to not only win back the White House, but to wrest control of the terms of debate from the Republicans. He contends that conservative phrases like “tax relief,” “free trade,” and “cut and run” are not just trivial word choices, but are frames that affect the mind deeply. Dr. Lakoff will also discuss which presidential candidates have already successfully been using this strategy.

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