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The Three Languages of Politics by [Kling, Arnold]
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The Three Languages of Politics Kindle Edition

by Arnold Kling (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars 78 customer reviews
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Length: 54 pages Word Wise: Enabled Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
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Product Details

  • File Size: 230 KB
  • Print Length: 54 pages
  • Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
  • Publication Date: April 12, 2013
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services LLC
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B00CCGF81Q
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
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  • Word Wise: Enabled
  • Lending: Not Enabled
  • Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,543 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsHow to better think and communicate, in less than an hour
By Amazon Customer on April 20, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
With this extended essay, economist and blogger Arnold Kling grapples with the problem of intelligent, well-meaning and decent people talking past each other on the critical issues of the day. How can this be? What is the solution?

Arnold Kling has a hypothesis, which he calls the 'Three-axis Model'. In his model, we each have a way we tend to think and communicate about issues. These ways have polarized along three different axes (I'll get to them in a moment). Just as right handed people use their right hand without thinking, we tend to think and communicate at our comfortable point in the spectrum of each axis. This serves to quickly validate our existing views, allow us to discard discordant information and reinforces us within our tribe of similar believers. Unfortunately, just as using the wrong hand is awkward and obviously wrong, these ways are so different from how people polarized on other axes think that it marks us for dismissal by their tribes, even as it reinforces them in their own.

The challenge then is, how do we step back from these dominant ways to thinking to see the world through the eyes of others and communicate with them on terms they would understand and recognize, rather than dismiss? How do you have a discussion that informs, rather than one that simply reinforces the existing polarization? Arnold Kling here outlines the beginnings of an answer.Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 starsIf you want to write about political issues, read this first!
By F. Bailey Norwood on April 15, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
It is rare to see an author treat all political flavors with both objective scrutiny and respect. This book can really help you see through the eyes of different political ideologies. If you want to speak or write about political issues, you should read this first to improve your understanding of political alliances and communicate better to a diverse audience.

Well written. Pleasantly succinct. Awards to the author!

Bailey Norwood
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4.0 out of 5 starsAn insightful model for understanding ideological differences.
By Douglas on May 14, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Kling has been laying out his "three axes" model on his blog for several months now. This short kindle book explains the basic idea and then expands upon it. For the most part, I think Kling's model is accurate and effective as a means of understanding ideological positions and the language used to support them. The shortness of the book is a blessing, because the power of Kling's system is that it's so simple; it doesn't need a 300-page treatment.

That said, I do wish that Kling had spent a little more time discussing applications of the three axes to specific political issues -- including ones that don't seem to fit the mold (though I think most do). Also, some of the examples he does use aren't as "clean" as they could be, and as a result they may undersell his model. For instance, Kling uses the mortgage finance crisis as a leading example. But because Kling is an expert on the subject, he goes into greater depth and complexity on the issue than needed, when the power of his three-axes model is really in explaining the broad outlines of ideological positions rather than the nuances. The resulting analysis is somewhat messy.

Nevertheless, Kling's model is useful and (usually) accurate, and it could prove the basis for a whole research program in political science. On those grounds alone, it gets a thumbs-up.
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4.0 out of 5 starsA book that tries to understand, not defeat, opposing viewpoints
By The Langrills on April 26, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
The gist of the book is: political discourse tends to run along three axes, which are incommensurable. Liberals tend to judge along an oppressor-oppressed axis, Conservatives along a barbarian-civilization axis, Libertarians along a coercion-freedom axis. The purpose of the book is not to deconstruct and criticize what he sees as the dominant heuristics of each group, but to use them to help readers get into their ideological opposition's shoes.

The strong point of this book is in trying to put the reader into his or her ideological opponents' shoes. He brings up the ideological turing test (created by Bryan Caplan) which asks: if you were put in a room with your ideological others, could you pass as one of them? Psychology finds that, on average, liberals think they can make better conservatives than conservatives, and vice versa. Neither is right.

Now on to the parts of the book I disagreed with. Kling compares the diverging languages to an 'audible' in football: a purposeful confusion of signs to make sure the opposition doesn't know what is going on. This seems farfetched to me. Diverging language among groups that are so large, tends to be an unintentional process that indicates that there are few contacts between groups. Polite society has politics as one of its taboos, and people tend to view media outlets that they agree with in the first place; this means that the network of people actually using political language in conversation is very fractured, just what you would expect from people with little real contact (and strong enforcement within each social group).

His portrayal of the explanations for the financial crisis seemed a little problematic.Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 starsShould Have Been an Essay

A very basic idea. The problem is it would be a great essay but it's a really tedious book. Way to pedantic.

Published 13 days ago by Richard Newton
4.0 out of 5 starsInteresting ideas, crucial for understanding political discourse

This brief book presents an interesting way to look at opinions around us. The ideas are good and thought provoking but presentation/ organization leaves much to be desired. Read more

Published 25 days ago by Adnan A. Khan
5.0 out of 5 starsTremendous

A clever take on political communication. I'd recommend it to anyone. I wish all three axes would get exposure to this book.

Published 1 month ago by Omicron13
5.0 out of 5 starsVery insightful

The author is on the something here. Very well thought out and includes great references to explore further. Would recommend.

Published 2 months ago by Mad
5.0 out of 5 starsMake the world a better place: Read and follow this book.

A great way to actively listen to others during political discussions. Not just how to but also the advantages for doing so. Read more

Published 2 months ago by Tony
5.0 out of 5 starsArnold Kling, "Three Languages of Politics"

It looks like most political commentators are just talking past one another. Why? Arnold Kling hazards a guess, arguing that people don't understand one another because they have... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Art Carden
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great book

Published 4 months ago by William Piper
5.0 out of 5 starsShort yet valuable book

Kling presents a simple yet effective framework for understanding how people of different political persuasions think. Read more

Published 7 months ago by Brad Andrew
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

It's by Arnold Kling so you already know it's good.

Published 9 months ago by Brian
4.0 out of 5 starsGreat and short reading especially in this turbulent political times.

Great and short reading especially in this turbulent political times. The author explains how political views can be grouped in three different paths and it makes a lot of... Read more

Published 10 months ago by IronGaspar

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