The concept of framing in politics was introduced over a decade ago by George Lakoff, but cognitive scientist Elisabeth Wehling feels that frames are still misunderstood and that much of her work "still consists of explaining what political framing is at all. There are the wildest misunderstandings." What are frames and why are they so important? What are the differences in how progressives and conservatives have been using them? (And does this have anything to do with why Republicans control the three branches of federal government and dominate most state governments, despite indications that most Americans prefer progressive policies?) How can "objective" journalism give way to a more "conscious" jounalism to help us understand how politicians and spin doctors target our cognition and decision-making? How can we learn to understand and make ourselves understood when communicating with those whose beliefs clash with our own?
Host Stephanie Potter speaks with Elisabeth Wehling, Ph.D., who is a teacher and researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, at the Dept. of Lingusitics and the Dept of Cognitive Science. She is a cognitive scientist and linguist committed to language, thought, & ideology research, and to fostering transparent democratic discourse. She has written several books including Your Brain's Politics: How the Science of Mind Explains the Polititical Divide, which she co-authored with George Lakoff, and The Little Blue Book, also co-authored with Lakoff.
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