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3 - Selling Policy

Political Narratives and Ideologies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 November 2023

Stephen M. Maurer
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
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Summary

This chapter asks how voters react to political messaging and, crucially, sometimes change their minds. It begins by reviewing experimental psychology, neuroimaging, and artificial intelligence research showing that the brain reasons in two distinct ways: Recognizing patterns (fast or Type 1 thought) and constructing logical arguments (slow or type 2 thought). It then argues that the first mode almost always dominates political thought. The paradox is that humans have evolved to feel pleasure both in confirming old patterns and in being surprised by new ones. This means that while political messaging is often repetive, humans are also susceptible to messages that feature large departures from current orthodoxies. Because of majority rule, politicians will normally prefer messages that appeal to large numbers of voters. This explains how even highly-polarized electorates can sometimes realign around new issues to restore a more centrist politics.

Type
Chapter
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We Hold These Truths
Updating the Framers' Vision of American Democracy
, pp. 61 - 97
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Selling Policy
  • Stephen M. Maurer, University of California, Berkeley
  • Book: We Hold These Truths
  • Online publication: 30 November 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108990646.005
Available formats
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Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

  • Selling Policy
  • Stephen M. Maurer, University of California, Berkeley
  • Book: We Hold These Truths
  • Online publication: 30 November 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108990646.005
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Selling Policy
  • Stephen M. Maurer, University of California, Berkeley
  • Book: We Hold These Truths
  • Online publication: 30 November 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108990646.005
Available formats
×