I’ve read a ton of books in my time — mostly fiction in my long-ago youth; mostly non-fiction in my dotage: biographical/autobiographical, historical and philosophical (including religious thinking, which, forgive me, covers a multitude of sins). Some of this reading has been for pure enjoyment and/or information, the rest for seeking answers to existential questions; but I suspect that almost all of it has been (consciously or not) a means of seeking to understand why people (including myself) are what they are. Although the old adage “seek and you shall find” has led to many eureka moments over the years, I’d never found a book that gave me “a whole new understanding of public discourse”* in the way that a book called MORAL POLITICS (2nd edition) does.
It should be said at the outset that the title of the book (by cognitive linguist George Lakoff) doesn’t do it justice. Books about politics (moral or otherwise) rarely dig deep into why people are what they are….furthermore, this book is about much more than politics. The book’s subtitle, HOW LIBERALS AND CONSERVATIVES THINK, expands the sense of it, but again is about much more. It concerns not only how liberals and conservatives (and libertarians and moderates and others) think, but WHY they think how they think (they, of course, includes us — you and I). Seen In context, politics is but one public stage for the larger human drama (comedy?) in which we all play a part….in which we all ARE a part.
I’d love to quote extensively from MORAL POLITICS, but that wouldn’t be kosher, would it? Instead, here’s a sampling of Part and Chapter titles, as well as several brief quotes from the book, to give an idea of the concepts that may take you, the potential reader, past where you’re at — If you are up to questioning hand-me-down mindsets and want the real “inside story” (and who, I ask with jaundiced eye, doesn’t have a passion for moving beyond received wisdom):
Part II: Moral Conceptual Systems
Experiential Morality
Keeping the Moral Books
Strict Father Morality
Nurturant Parent Morality
Part III: From Family-Based Morality to Politics
Moral Categories in Politics
Part IV: The Hard Issues
Social Programs and Taxes
Two Models of Christianity
Part VI: Who’s Right? And How Can You Tell?
Raising Real Children
The Human Mind
Basic Humanity
RANDOM QUOTATIONS
People who “deviate” from the tried and true path arouse enormous anger because they threaten the identities of those who follow traditional “straight and narrow” paths, but also because they are seen as threats to the community.
The Bible, in itself and without interpretation, can say nothing at all about the kind of politics one should have. It is only through Strict Father and Nurturant Parent interpretations of the Bible that one is led to a conservative or liberal religious politics.
Libertarians provide a very interesting challenge to the study of variations on a central model. Libertarians see themselves as forming a separate political category, neither liberal or conservative, but something unto itself. Analysis….suggests that their view of themselves is not entirely accurate.
The fact that libertarians and political liberals both strongly advocate civil liberties is a superficial similarity. They do so for very different reasons, out of different moral impulses, with a very different spirit. Though two steps away from mainline conservatism, libertarians are conservatives in three very important respects: (1) Their concern with noninterference by the government comes directly out of conservatism. (2) They preserve primary conservative moral priorities: self-discipline, self-reliance, and individualism. (3) They do not give priority to the values of Nurturant Parent morality: empathy, nurturance, interdependence, fairness, and responsibility for others.
*From a blurb on the book’s back cover quoting the late sociologist Robert Bellah (book is available on Amazon and elsewhere).
blindzanygirl 1:17 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
Brilliant. I love ‘em
LikeLiked by 5 people
mistermuse 2:27 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
Thanks, Lorraine. Like the groundhog, you too have exceptional taste. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
blindzanygirl 2:50 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink
Lol mistermuse 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
calmkate 2:48 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
give me lentils and soybeans any day … love SFs quote, says it all!
Like the clip 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 6:56 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
That’s not the first time I’ve used that song. Here’s the clip of I DON’T CARE (sung by Judy Garland) in a post from Jan. 2019:
LikeLiked by 2 people
calmkate 1:42 pm on September 5, 2020 Permalink
good to know there are other veggos out there 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
rawgod 4:03 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
And might I suggest ATTITUDE with an ATTTITTUDDE, dude?
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 7:17 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
Maybe this answers your first question:
Your second question is a bit of a stretch, in my HUMBLE opinion.
LikeLike
rawgod 9:33 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink
Have to say it, this movie turned my stomach.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rivergirl 7:05 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
Ode to a woodchuck?
Love it!
LikeLiked by 2 people
rawgod 9:38 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
Actually, Owed to a Woodchuck! But as usual for non-humans, the woodchuck never got the royalties…
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 10:00 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink
Rivergirl did share her watermelon with the woodchucks, to whom I’m sure watermelon in the paws is worth royalties in the bush.
LikeLike
Rivergirl 7:13 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
Immortalized in poem?
The woodchucks are honored.
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 7:41 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
….and I’m honored to use that post (from your blog, which I recommend to all my readers). 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rivergirl 7:56 am on September 5, 2020 Permalink
And I was so honored you’re honored, apparently I said it twice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Eliza 5:35 pm on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
This made me smile
I like the definition of wisdom…
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 5:51 pm on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
Thank you, Eliza. I agree about the definition of wisdom — it’s one of my favorite quotes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
magickmermaid 6:19 pm on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
One of the worst films I’ve ever seen was that terrible one called Soylent Green.
I didn’t know I had a theme song. 🙂
More poetry, please!
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 6:56 pm on September 5, 2020 Permalink |
“More poetry”? You talked me into it, mm — more poetry coming up (but I won’t say how soon, as I don’t want to lose any readers who haven’t recovered from this post yet).
As for your “theme song,” here’s an alternative in case you want to upgrade from I DON’T CARE:
LikeLike
arekhill1 4:39 pm on September 6, 2020 Permalink |
Nicely written, Sr. Muse.
LikeLiked by 2 people
mistermuse 6:19 pm on September 6, 2020 Permalink |
Gracias, Ricardo. As the lyrics of the above song say, “I should care — and I do.”
LikeLike
Ana Daksina 1:41 pm on September 15, 2020 Permalink |
I have no grieviance with this work!
PS — The reader who wants “more poetry” is a keeper
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 4:11 pm on September 15, 2020 Permalink |
Thanks, Ana. Actually, all my readers (including you) are keepers….and even though I enjoy my job as a “you” keeper and get well paid in Likes and Comments, I wouldn’t object to an occasional cash bonus! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ana Daksina 9:17 pm on September 15, 2020 Permalink
You’d have no greviance with it? 🤣
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 10:09 pm on September 15, 2020 Permalink
If by “it”, you mean my previous comment, I do have second thoughts, in that (unlike “grieviance” in the WISE-ASS PLATITUDES poem in the post) it didn’t come off as well as I intended. Even so, I won’t turn down an “additional cash bonus” for trying.
LikeLike
masercot 11:47 am on September 16, 2020 Permalink |
That first one had Rivergirl written all over it…
LikeLiked by 1 person
mistermuse 12:34 pm on September 16, 2020 Permalink |
You got that ‘write’ — her SUMMER MEANS WATERMELON post of Sept. 4 was my ‘inspiration’ for the first poem.
LikeLike