Synopses & Reviews
Why, when it comes to politics, do we often seem so gullible and uninformed? In
Political Animals, the bestselling historian and journalist Rick Shenkman reveals the hidden biases at work in all of us when we enter the voting booth. Drawing on cutting-edge research in neuroscience, evolutionary psychology, and behavioral psychology, he explains that evolution has left us with a brain wired for the Stone Age. While these ancient instincts often work to our advantage in our personal lives, in politics they usually dont. Modern cues set off ancient instinctive responses that prompt us to behave in ways contrary to the good governance of our nation.
Shenkman illuminates not only the curious habits of the American voter today but also the ways in which voter biases have shaped American political historyfrom the shark attacks that got Woodrow Wilson elected to the people who still defend Richard Nixon against the Watergate charges. In so doing, Shenkman probes the depths of the human mind to reveal what we must do to fix our floundering democracy.
Review
George E. Marcus, Professor of Political Science, Williams CollegeA fascinating, well-told account of how our nature both prepares and ill-prepares us for politics in the modern age.”
Leonard Steinhorn, Professor of Communication and Affiliate Professor of History, American University
Politics in America has this Alice in Wonderland quality: what makes sense often doesn't happen, and what happens often doesn't make sense. Drawing on science, history, psychology, mounds of evidence and political insight, Rick Shenkmans masterful book shows us why. What Malcolm Gladwells The Tipping Point does for society, Political Animals does for politics.”
Taegan Goddard, Founder and Publisher of Political Wire
The most predictable thing about politics is that its often unpredictable. In his fascinating and illuminating new book, Rick Shenkman discovers the problem isnt with our fancy statistical models or forecasts, its with our brains. When it comes to politics, humans sometimes do things that just dont make sense.”
David Greenberg, author of Republic of Spin: An Inside History of the American Presidency
Every era has its false prophets; todays are the neuroscientists and evolutionary psychologists who claim that all we need to know about human behavior lies in our hard wiring. In Political Animals, Rick Shenkman explodes their just-so stories, showing that the best way to understand politics is not through instincts but though history, with all its richness and complexity.”
Alonzo L. Hamby, author of Man of Destiny: FDR and the Making of the American Century
For generations political scientists have argued over whether voters address political issues rationally. Rick Shenkman vigorously asserts that for the most part they make decisions that more closely resemble the instinctual behavior of animals and early prehistoric man. He further argues that our institutions encourage such choices. Clearly written and accessible to ordinary readers, this book is an important contribution to an ongoing debate.”
Synopsis
Can a football game affect the outcome of an election? What about shark attacks? Or a drought? In a rational world the answer, of course, would be no. But as bestselling historian Rick Shenkman shows in
Political Animals, our world is anything but rational. This isnt because we arent smart. Instead, modern cues are setting off ancient, instinctive responses that worked to keep us safe in the Stone Age but lead us astray today.
Pop culture tells us we can trust our instincts. But science is demonstrating that when it comes to politics, our Stone Age brains can malfunction and misfire. Fortunately, we can learn to override our instincts and ensure that they work in our favor. Drawing on science, politics, and history, Shenkman explores the hidden reasons behind our political choices and uncovers the invisible forces that are truly responsible for victory or defeat at the ballot box.
About the Author
Rick Shenkman is an associate professor of history at George Mason University, and the editor and founder of George Mason Universitys History News Network. He is the author of six books, including, most recently, Basics Just How Stupid Are We? Facing the Truth About the American Voter, as well as the New York Times bestselling Legends, Lies, and Cherished Myths of American History. Shenkman is the vice president of Vote iQ, a social networking site built expressly for politics. Educated at Vassar and Harvard, he is also an Emmy award-winning investigative reporter and the former managing editor of KIRO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Seattle.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Mismatch: Why We Can't Trust Our Instincts
PART I: Curiosity
1. The Michael Jordan Lesson: Why people who don't vote and don't follow the news don't think they need to
2. We're Political Animals: So why aren't we better at politics?
3. Your 150 Closest Friends: How many people do you know?
PART II: Reading People
4. Why We Are Surprised When Our Leaders Disappoint Us: The mistake even smart voters make
5. 167 Milliseconds: The amazing speed at which we draw conclusions about people
PART III: Truth
6. Lying to Ourselves: The high cost of self-deception and why we can't stop ourselves
7. Do We Really Want the Truth?: Why we often seem less interested in the truth than we profess
8. Everything Happens for a Reason: It's not just kids we prefer fairy tales
9. It's Like It Was Still 1974: Why people make arguments so transparently feeble they leave others dumbstruck
PART IV: Empathy
10. When It Happens to You: The limits to empathy
11. The Accountant's Error: The danger of relying on our gut
Conclusion: A Way Forward: Solutions are at our fingertips if only we grasp them
Coda: The Widow's Advantage: And What We Can Learn From Her