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George Lakoff

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Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think, Third Edition Paperback – September 5, 2016

by Professor George Lakoff (Author)

4.6 136 ratings

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When Moral Politics was first published two decades ago, it redefined how Americans think and talk about politics through the lens of cognitive political psychology. Today, George Lakoff’s classic text has become all the more relevant, as liberals and conservatives have come to hold even more vigorously opposed views of the world, with the underlying assumptions of their respective worldviews at the level of basic morality. Even more so than when Lakoff wrote, liberals and conservatives simply have very different, deeply held beliefs about what is right and wrong.

Lakoff reveals radically different but remarkably consistent conceptions of morality on both the left and right. Moral worldviews, like most deep ways of understanding the world, are unconscious—part of our “hard-wired” brain circuitry. When confronted with facts that don’t fit our moral worldview, our brains work automatically and unconsciously to ignore or reject these facts, and it takes extraordinary openness and awareness of this phenomenon to pay critical attention to the vast number of facts we are presented with each day. For this new edition, Lakoff has added a new preface and afterword, extending his observations to major ideological conflicts since the book's original publication, from the Affordable Care Act to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the recent financial crisis, and the effects of global warming. One might have hoped such massive changes would bring people together, but the reverse has actually happened; the divide between liberals and conservatives has become stronger and more virulent.

To have any hope of bringing mutual respect to the current social and political divide, we need to clearly understand the problem and make it part of our contemporary public discourse. Moral Politics offers a much-needed wake-up call to both the left and the right.

Print length

512 pages
Language

English
Publisher

University of Chicago Press
Publication date

September 5, 2016
Dimensions

5.5 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

022641129X
ISBN-13

978-0226411293
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Moral Politics] isn’t just an ‘issue-by-issue debate.’ . . . [It is an] unusual mix of judicious scholarship, tendentious journalism, and inflammatory wake-up call.” ― San Francisco Chronicle, praise for the previous editions

“Lakoff, the cognitive linguist, understands ‘how’ you understand . In Moral Politics, [he] deftly applies that seemingly arcane understanding to the heart of American politics. . . . Even those who disagree with him will profit deeply from encountering his challenging ideas.” ― Christian Science Monitor, praise for the previous editions

About the Author

George Lakoff is distinguished professor of cognitive science and linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including Metaphors We Live By and Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things, both also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of Chicago Press; 3rd Enlarged ed. edition (September 5, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 512 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 022641129X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226411293
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.5 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1.1 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #591,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,234 in Political Conservatism & Liberalism
- #1,638 in Cognitive Psychology (Books)
- #2,280 in Philosophy of Ethics & Morality

Customer Reviews:
4.6 136 ratings

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George Lakoff

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George Lakoff is Richard and Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor of Cognitive Science and Linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley, where he has taught since 1972. He previously taught at Harvard and the University of Michigan. He graduated from MIT in 1962 (in Mathematics and Literature) and received his PhD in Linguistics from Indiana University in 1966. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Don't Think of an Elephant!, among other works, and is America’s leading expert on the framing of political ideas.

George Lakoff updates may be followed on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+. Find these links, a complete bibliography, and more at http://georgelakoff.com

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4.6 out of 5

136 global ratings

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CFortC

Contemporary American politics, explained

Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

Back in April 2017, I read Jonathan Haidt’s “The Righteous Mind”, which explored the split between the so-called individualists and social liberals. This book of Lakoff’s is kind of the prequel to “Righteous Mind” in that it offers to explain the origins of the two opposing worldviews of conservatives and liberals. Lakoff is a cognitive linguist, the study of worldview as expressed through concepts, language, and reasoning.

I discovered this book by coming across an 8-page excerpt posted on the internet. I then went right for the book because ever since mid-2016 I’ve been trying to understand the drivers of Trump’s successful presidential campaign.

Lakoff remains as “neutral” as possible for the bulk of the book (the first 19 chapters). Only in the final four chapters does he break character by first confessing he is himself a liberal, and explaining why in detail.

The main text appears unchanged from the 1996 first edition. All the examples are Clinton era. The second edition (2002) added a 38-page afterword commenting on issues through the early Bush II presidency. The current third edition (2016) added a 20-page afterword on more recent issues (Trump appears there but hadn’t yet gained the nomination).

In summary, a fascinating and highly rewarding read. I haven’t regarded a pontificating TV pundit the same way since.

23 people found this helpful

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bettsgjb

A must-read for all progressives

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2021

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This a a must-read for all progressives, who genuinely care about our nation, the world, and our future. Hell, conservatives should read it also. If more conservatives would read it, with a genuinely open mind, I’m convinced that they’d realize that they are—in many ways—being used by the ultra rich: i.e. to make the rich richer and the poor (in many cases, poor conservatives) poorer….

4 people found this helpful

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Linda Holley

Helpful in understanding political divide.

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2020

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It was difficult reading through the first half, but the second half brought everything together. Very interesting theories presented on how liberals and conservatives think based on child rearing and “baked in” ideas that block out the truth.

2 people found this helpful

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NJseabreeze

We need to understand one another!

Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2018

Verified Purchase

We as a nation are in a political struggle for the soul of America. I am desperately trying to understand the divide in an effort to work together civilly without rancor and hate filled rhetoric. This book is a scholarly exploration and is not an easy read. I generally consume 10-30 pages and highlight key points. His observations are enlightening but not giving me much hope so far. I haven’t finished it yet and am waiting for some conclusive and helpful pointers to move the debate forward. At its essence it illustrates why and how we see and perceive the world sooo differently. One thing we all must do is VOTE

4 people found this helpful

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GreenKat

George Lakoff issues a critical challenge to left leaning political ...

Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2017

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George Lakoff issues a critical challenge to left leaning political activists: get the message right!

Using his considerable accomplishments in cognitive science and linguistics research--then deftly interweaving key insights from each--he delivers a profound and detailed description of the political frameworks employed by "left" and "right" in the US. Included with these descriptions are his 'prescriptions' -- ideas to remedy the erosion of Democratic Party success in state and national elections.

This is a book to read and study closely. I have taken to heart Professor Lakoff's admonition that neglect of the serious implications of cognitive science is a form of "science denialism" the US left can no longer afford.

17 people found this helpful

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John Grout

Best explanation of conservative thinking ever, I didn't get it, but now I do

Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2022

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Best explanation of conservative thinking ever, I didn't get it, but now I do

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Austin Barry

The game you didn't know you were playing

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

It's like watching, indeed being part of, a large game you were not aware was being played. George Lakoff explains the rules, who is on each team (and the surprising reason why), and what each teams goals are, and why neither teams goals are logical. Hopefully this book gives you a few insights, a little less fear, and a bit of respect for people on the other team.

11 people found this helpful

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Abigail D. Meyer

they have completely different understandings of good and bad

Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2017

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Tough going, but an absolutely vital book for understanding how the two main factions in our country can see such completely different worlds: they have completely different understandings of good and bad, right and wrong.

6 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Jim from Calgary

Misses the mark

Reviewed in Canada on March 11, 2020

Verified Purchase

As far as theories go Lakoff’s theory of family models serving as the basis for a global political worldview is as good as any. But it stops at the point of being a theory. He does nothing to prove that liberal and conservative world views are traceable back to family dynamics. Instead he fabricates simplified family models and then tries to map conservative and liberal world views back them. And he gets conservative and liberal perceptions of issues fabulously wrong. For example he tries to say on page 208 that liberals dislike the death penalty because they have such a “reverence for life”, yet elsewhere in the book he acknowledges that liberals have no reverence for life where it comes to fondness for abortion. He misunderstands conservative family values nearly completely, transposing conservative family values to his interpretation of liberal family values. Perhaps this is because of his own self-acknowledged bias (he admits early in the book that he is a liberal and says, more or less, that he feels liberals have a more coherent worldview). Overall I found the book interesting but not an authority on moral political world views. Jonathan Haidt’s book The Righteous Mind is both more modern and more insightful about the innate bases of morality of both liberals and conservatives.

Bendybiggs5

Not objective

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 28, 2019

Verified Purchase

I found the book very interesting with relevant content. However, I wanted balanced and objective material on the way liberals and conservatives think. By his own admission the author says in the earlier parts of the book that he cannot hide his views (Liberal) and this is apparent when reading through it.

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