Lakoff: Reason, Emotion and Politics

In this video George Lakoff suggests that many of the failings of 'progressive' politicians stem from their lack of understanding about the way we make decisions and how the mind functions. He argues that the typical approach of 'focusing on the issues' and making a rational argument for the introduction of particular policies is one that draws on an 18th century understanding of the brain and our decision making processes. He cites research that demonstrates the importance of emotions in our ability to make choices while also speaking about how empathy is crucial when we decide who to vote for. Lakoff suggests that running a campaign based on emotion and empathy is not irrational but that rather that "the old notion of rationality is false". We might link this to the previous post and our thoughts about alternative rationalities by thinking of what Lakoff is describing as a kind of emotional rationality. The other key idea that Lakoff draws on is the notion that language is not neutral and that progressive thinkers need to actively-seek-to-disseminate ways of framing issues through language that allow even the more conservative-minded amongst us to support progressive policy. He points to the success of conservative 'think tanks' in disseminating their own framings of contemporary events ("the war on terror" etc) and suggests that progressives need similar institutions to be able to move forward on issues such as global warming. Download the audio of Lakoff's talk here.