In this classic text, the first full-scale application of cognitive science to politics, George Lakoff analyzes the unconscious and rhetorical worldviews of liberals and conservatives, discovering radically different but remarkably consistent conceptions of morality on both the left and right. For this new edition, Lakoff adds a preface and an afterword extending his observations to major ideological conflicts since the book's original publication, from the impeachment of Bill Clinton to the 2000 presidential election and its aftermath.
"[An] unusual mix of judicious scholarship, tendentious journalism and inflammatory wake-up call."--Editors' Recommendation, San Francisco Chronicle
"Lakoff, the cognitive linguist, understands how you understand. In Moral Politics, [he] deftly applies that seemingly arcane understanding to the heart of American politics. . . . His commitment is strong and deep, but his language is far from the rhetoric usually associated with political partisanship. . . . Even those who disagree with him will profit deeply from encountering his challenging ideas."--Paul Rosenberg, Christian Science Monitor