The Hidden Agenda of the Political Mind (ebook)

Argumento de The Hidden Agenda of the Political Mind (ebook)

"Authors Weeden and Kurzban have written a well-researched . . . analysis of the political mind. . . . [T]he book satisfies the intellectual demands of researchers and general readers. Perfect for fans of Thomas Frank's What's the Matter with Kansas?"--Library Journal

Jason Weeden is a senior researcher with the Pennsylvania Laboratory for Experimental Evolutionary Psychology (PLEEP) and a lawyer in Washington, DC. Robert Kurzban is professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of PLEEP. He is the author of Why Everyone (Else) Is a Hypocrite: Evolution and the Modular Mind (Princeton).

"[A]n unusually witty and engaging academic book."--Ethan Epstein, National Journal

"An important contribution to a field dominated by group-oriented explanations."--Christopher Weber, Political Science Quarterly

"[T]hought provoking."--John R. Hibbing, Science

"Weeden and Kurzban are brilliant thinkers who provide a broader, deeper, and occasionally unsettling new perspective on how our self-interest influences our choices--even choices made by those of us who cherish the belief that we are not motivated by self-interest. Read it and weep, or laugh."--Douglas T. Kenrick, coauthor of The Rational Animal: How Evolution Made Us Smarter Than We Think

"The ideas that Weeden and Kurzban explore in this book are transformative. They will get people thinking and talking about human behavior, morality, and politics in entirely new ways. The Hidden Agenda of the Political Mind is an important book."--Joshua Tybur, VU University Amsterdam

"The book is a thoughtful reminder that politics is often simply a contest over finite resources in which different voters want opposing things."--John McDermott, Financial Times

"The book makes an interesting contribution to our understanding of political attitudes and is accessible to a wide audience interested in political science. . . . The Hidden Agenda of the Political Mind answers an important question and provides new depth to many of the popular theories on opinion formation and partisan attachments. . . . By showing how self-interest factors into our decision making in ways we do not even consciously understand and how political parties exploit that to their advantage and by doing so in a way that is accessible outside an academic audience, the authors will likely make a significant contribution to the general understanding of public opinion."--Chad Murphy, The Journal of Politics

"[T]his disturbing book may provoke debate, dismay and considerable anger."--Kirkus

"[I]nteresting throughout."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

"[O]ne of the most interesting books I have read on politics in quite a while. . . . A fascinating book."--Daniel Finkelstein, The Times (London)

"Weeden and Kurzban’s argument will trouble those who believe that politics is about more than trying to find ways to satisfy one’s interests."--Choice

"Weeden and Kurzban's book is well worth a read."--Anthony Randazzo, Reason

"The Hidden Agenda of the Political Mind is provocative and often persuasive. . . . Weeden and Kurzban remind us that self-interest is a complicated concept."--Glenn C. Altschuler, Huffington Post0Part I: Political Minds
Chapter 1: Agendas in Action 3
Chapter 2: Investigating Interests 26
Chapter 3: Machiavellian Minds 44
Part II: Political Issues
Chapter 4: Fighting over Sex: Lifestyle Issues and Religion 69
Chapter 5: Rules of the Game: Group Identities and Human Capital 96
Chapter 6: Money Matters: Redistribution and Hard-Times Programs 123
Part III: Political Coalitions
Chapter 7: The Many Shades of Red and Blue 145
Chapter 8: The Republican Coalition 160
Chapter 9: The Democratic Coalition 176
Part IV: Political Challenges
Chapter 10: An Uncomfortable Take on Political Positions 195
Acknowledgments 217
Appendixes 219
Data Appendix for Chapter 2 219
Data Appendix for Part II 236
Data Appendix for Chapter 4 251
Data Appendix for Chapter 5 268
Data Appendix for Chapter 6 287
Data Appendix for Chapter 8 304
Data Appendix for Chapter 9 321
Notes 343
References 351
Index 359