3. About the Author and the Book
Full information for bibliographical reference: Lakoff, George. Moral politics: how liberals and conservatives think (second edition). – Chicago, London: The University of Chicago Press, 2002. – 471p.
The author of the book in a professor of linguists and cognitive science at the University of California, Berkeley, and a founder of the Rockridge Institute. One of the most influential scholars in the sphere of mind and language, George Lakoff has recently turned into a leading political thinker and consultant. Fragments of the bestseller which catapulted him to a celebrity status and became a must-read for American politicians, journalists and activists are your required reading in this course.
In Moral Politics George Lakoff analyzes the unconscious worldviews of liberals and conservatives, explaining why they are at odds over so many seemingly unrelated issues – like taxes, abortion, regulation, and social programs. The differences, Lakoff argues, are not mere matters of partisanship, but arise from radically different concepts of morality and ideal family life – meaning that family and morality are at the heart of American politics, in ways that are far from obvious.
You’ll read only several portions (less then a half!) of the book: chapters 5-7, 10-13, 15-16, 20-23.
Outline of chapters:
Chapters 5 and 6 describe the Strict Father and Nurturant Parent models of the family and the family-based moral systems they give rise to.
Chapter 7 explains why previous analyses have failed to explain the nature of conservatism and liberalism.
Part IV is where the political explanation is carried out. Chapters 10 through 16 discuss a broad range of issues, from social programs and crime to abortion, showing the logic and rhetoric of liberal and conservative stands on these issues and demonstrating how each stand derives ultimately from a version of one of the two family-based moral systems.
In Part VI the author asks if there are any reasons not grounded in one of the ideologies for choosing between these moral and political systems. Chapters 21 through 23 provide three such reasons.
4. Study Plan
1. Carefully read chapters 5 and 6 and compare the nature of liberal and conservative worldviews along the following dimensions:
Beliefs about the outside world
Beliefs about human nature
Hierarchy of values
Good/Evil dichotomy
Attitude to hierarchy
The nature of success and failure in life: who is in charge?
Relate this information to 2 idealized family models (Strict Father and Nurturant Parent):
Who is at the head of the family?
What are the responsibilities of each family member?
What relations should exist between parents and children when they grow up?
Pay attention to parameters of variation within each model to avoid oversimplification.
2. Read chapter 7 to compare traditional views on differences between liberalism and conservatism with the model suggested by the author.
3. Read chapters 10-13 and 15-16 to understand liberal and conservative positions on key social and political issues and how they are linked to the idealized family models and other components of worldviews. Pay special attention to the language used in debates by both groups (e.g. tax relief, gay lifestyle, pro-choice vs. pro-life).
4. In chapters 21-23, follow the ‘reality check’ of the two ideological positions to understand who is right and why.
Other activities:
Make a glossary of words, word combinations and phrases (about 50 entries) necessary to describe the essence of two ideologies and their interpretations of hot topics (e.g. self-reliant, coddle, spare the rod and spoil the child etc.)
Prepare yourselves to find ideologically-laden elements in speeches of public officials.
Prepare for a series of discussions and debates with your group mates on the issues discussed in the book.