This video provides a Marxist critique of capitalism in the context of the financial meltdown. I would like to draw particular attention to the various belief systems, modes of understanding, and implicit assumptions built into the global economy. In order to build a better economic system, we’ll need to be explicit about these cognitive elements [...]
I’d like to draw your attention to some excellent research conducted by our friend Anat Shenker-Osorio for the Progressive Ideas Network, in partnership with the Institute for Policy Studies. She explored the idealized cognitive models, conceptual metaphors, and semantic frames that shape how inequality is understood in American politics. An overview of her findings can [...]
This article is also published on Campaign for America’s Future and Alternet. You’ve heard the latest one, right? President Obama — or maybe it was Obama working hand-in-glove with BP — deliberately blew up the Deepwater Horizon, sent 11 workers to their deaths, destroyed the country’s biggest fishery, and smeared the coasts of five states [...]
I’d like to share with you some of the things I’ve learned about putting frame analysis into practice, both during my time at the Rockridge Institute and afterward as a strategy consultant and professional trainer with Cognitive Policy Works. My experiences span many different settings including: Deconstructing the cultural and political frames of an academic [...]
This video is a graphic animation of Jeremy Rifkin presenting the evolution of empathy. It powerfully expresses the innate human capacity for feeling connected with others and suggests that there may be a way to rethink the human narrative in order to achieve lasting solidarity as we confront global challenges.
I was honored to discover this blog article today, written by historian and writer Lawrence DiStasi, titled Critiquing Rational Actors. It was inspired by my earlier work on self-interest and builds the argument further. Here’s a snippet: “To sum up: the market fundamentalists who have nearly destroyed the American economy have done so under the [...]
Are you someone who struggles to understand why people behave the way they do in politics? Perhaps you’ve been confused by all the fervor against gay marriage. Or maybe you’re taken aback by the strong emotions waged against government-sponsored health care. To understand political behaviors like these, you’ll need to become familiar with the psychology [...]
Shared prosperity arises through cooperation, trust, and investments in societal infrastructure. If you listened to the Senate Investigations Committee hearing, Arizona legislators, or the conversation and comments involving British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and a local resident, it sounds like the world is going to hell in a hand-basket. They may be right, but for [...]
Self-interest fundamentalism was the economic religion of the 20th Century. We are now in the midst of an economic reformation on par with the Enlightenment as we enter the new millennium. Have you noticed that a lot of people seem to think that appeals to self-interest lead to a moral and just society? No, I’m [...]
Communication is fundamentally about building trust, making connections, and sharing ideas. It is not, as many political consultants presume, a matter of activating the selfish tendencies of individuals. Throughout the last two years, I’ve given many workshops on values-based communication, framing, and strategic advocacy. In these workshops, participants learn about the workings of the political [...]
