Thinking Points Discussions — Rockridge Nation

Thinking Points Discussions

Thinking Points Discussions are archived here as a resource for readers of the book by George Lakoff and the Rockridge Institute. These discussions were originally week-long conversations hosted by the Rockridge Institute's Joe Brewer. They also drew from additional sources to inform our understanding of cognitive science and our political discourse and extend beyond what Thinking Points covers.

Because these discussions are no longer active, Rockridge staff will not be available to respond to comments on these archived Thinking Points Discussions. If you have read Thinking Points and have a question that is not addressed in these discussions, you may wish to pose an Ask Rockridge question.

The collection of articles in our series of discussions of our book Thinking Points and related concepts and resources

Thinking Points Discussion: How Conservatives REALLY Shift Public Opinion by joe_at_rockridge, Friday, August 3, 2007 01:39 PM
Conservatives have been very successful at shifting political discourse in their favor. This article explains how they have done it. Progressives can reclaim the debate by knowing their values and articulating their political ideology honestly and openly.

3 comments

Thinking Points Discussion: Overton Window Presents Distorted View by joe_at_rockridge, Thursday, August 2, 2007 01:28 PM
Political strategies based on the left-right political spectrum are inherently limited. In this article, the second of a three-part series, I present the Overton Window and analyze its foundational concepts to reveal the short-comings of this approach.

4 comments

Thinking Points Discussion: Model of Left and Right Falls Flat by joe_at_rockridge, Wednesday, August 1, 2007 09:47 AM
Conservative strategists have successfully shifted political discourse in their favor. Progressives can shift the debate back by understanding how the political mind works. In order to do so, however, it is necessary to move beyond the faulty idea that there is a horizontal political spectrum from left to center to right.

15 comments

Thinking Points Discussion: Politics and the Psychology of Blame by joe_at_rockridge, Friday, July 6, 2007 02:04 PM
Progressives and conservatives understand responsibility in very different ways. This discussion explores the psychology of blame as it relates to strict father and nurturant parent moralities. Extending beyond these core concepts, an important psychological bias is presented that applies to politics.

10 comments

Thinking Points Discussion: Gut Feelings and Political Choice by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, July 2, 2007 05:00 PM
Conservatives have been very successful at tainting progressive concepts. Progressives need to learn how this works so we can protect ourselves and advance our ideas at the same time. In this article, the second in a series on political preference, I would like to share how feelings of "goodness" or "badness" perform this important role in making decisions.

6 comments

Thinking Points Discussion: Status Quo Bias and Progressive Reform by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, June 25, 2007 01:51 PM
The Rockridge Institute builds upon many insights from the cognitive sciences. In this article, the first in a new series about political preferences, I explore the tendency of people to "maintain the status quo." By understanding how this phenomenon works, we can begin to envision strategies for success at progressive reform.

11 comments

Thinking Points Discussion: Epilogue and Assessment by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, June 11, 2007 11:28 AM
Throughout the last three months, we have had a great discussion of Thinking Points. Now that we have covered all of the material in the book, it is a good time to take stock of where we've been and set a course for the future.

6 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 8 - Part 2: Stories as Arguments by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, June 4, 2007 06:40 AM
One of the basic ways our brains organize the world is by shaping events into a sequence with defined roles. This structure takes on the form of stories that make sense of our experiences in the world. In politics, stories are paramount. They provide the most compelling moral arguments for distinguishing true from false and right from wrong. In this installment of the Thinking Points discussion, we look at the role of stories in political discourse.

8 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 8 - Part 1: The Art of Arguments by joe_at_rockridge, Tuesday, May 29, 2007 09:14 AM
Knowledge of the political mind empowers us with tools we can use to reach out to others and share ideas effectively. An essential tool is the argument frame. It provides a means for expressing values persuasively to convince others of the inherent validity of our own perspectives while also motivating them to embrace our perspectives. This installment explores the components of the argument frame in political discourse.

12 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 7: Strategic Initiatives by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, May 21, 2007 11:57 AM
In order to advance our moral vision, progressives need to think strategically. Conservatives have been extremely successful in recent decades through the use of strategic initiatives that broadly advance their agenda. In this installment, we explore how progressives can use four strategic initiatives that promote well-being and security for everyone.

37 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 6 - Part 2: More About American Values by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, May 14, 2007 10:03 AM
In politics we regularly hear discussions about responsibility, integrity, and security. These fundamental American values mean different things to progressives and conservatives. In this installment of the Thinking Points discussion, we look at the ways these values get expressed through political worldviews.

17 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 6 - Part 1: Our American Values by rockridge_staff, Monday, May 7, 2007 11:24 AM
People who have pointed to the United States as a beacon of light in the world have often cited its dedication to fairness, freedom, and equality. But the meanings of these values are not set in stone. Right now there are two opposing meanings for each value. Exposing these contradictory meanings is necessary in order to assess their qualities and choose the one that resonates with the brighter side of America.

23 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 5: Morality and the Market by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, April 30, 2007 12:01 PM
The market is a very important social institution that all communities need in order to thrive. The question we must consider is what kind of market should we have. In this article we explore the moral values that are expressed in conservative and progressive understandings of what the market is and how it should function.

18 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 4 - Part 2: Conservative Morality by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, April 23, 2007 12:18 PM
Exploring the ideas presented in Chapter 4 reveals the moral foundations of progressive and conservative political philosophy. In this installment, we explain what conservative morality is and how it is related to our lived experiences of family life in American culture. Key differences between conservative and progressive morality arise that shape how we differ in our responses to political issues.

31 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 4 - Part 1: Progressive Morality by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, April 16, 2007 10:47 AM
Exploring the ideas presented in Chapter 4 reveals the moral foundations of progressive and conservative political philosophy. In this installment, we explain what progressive morality is and how it is related to our lived experiences of family life in American culture. Basic components of these experiences shape our moral perspective and inform our political philosophy at the deepest levels.

18 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 4 - Part 1: Progressive Morality by joe_at_rockridge, Monday, April 16, 2007 10:47 AM
Exploring the ideas presented in Chapter 4 reveals the moral foundations of progressive and conservative political philosophy. In this installment, we explain what progressive morality is and how it is related to our lived experiences of family life in American culture. Basic components of these experiences shape our moral perspective and inform our political philosophy at the deepest levels.

8 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 3 - Part 3: Expressing Our Values by joe_at_rockridge, Friday, April 6, 2007 10:08 AM
In this final installment for the discussion of chapter 3, we consider why so many progressives have been unable to express their values. The remedy to this obstacle is to recognize how a number of essential concepts in politics have been framed in ideological terms that undermine progressive positions. We need to reclaim the words that express our most important ideas.

42 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 3 – Part 2: Insights from Cognitive Sciences by joe_at_rockridge, Thursday, March 29, 2007 01:44 PM
Continuing our discussion of chapter 3 in Thinking Points, we explore the insights provided by the cognitive sciences to discover that many common assumptions about the human mind are flawed. In this section, the second of three installments on chapter 3, we can see that our “common sense” understanding of rational thought leads to erroneous predictions about political behavior.

32 comments

Thinking Points Discussion of Chapter 3 – Part 1: Frames by joe_at_rockridge, Friday, March 23, 2007 11:44 AM
Expanding our discussion of Thinking Points to include Chapter 3, we explore frames and brains to see how cognitive science informs our understanding of politics. This chapter is filled with so much information that we will consider it in three parts. This installment considers what framing is and identifies several important kinds of frames relevant to politics

23 comments

"Moderates of Many Kinds" - Diversity of Biconceptuals in Thinking Points by joe_at_rockridge, Wednesday, March 21, 2007 09:01 AM
Our discussion of biconceptuals in Thinking Points has suggested that some confusion exists about moderation in politics and the claim that centrist ideology is a misleading fiction. For the sake of clarification, we explore the diverse landscape of biconceptual combinations that inform our impression of "moderates" in politics.

8 comments

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