Summary Of George Lakoff's Moral Politics

In Moral Politics, George Lakoff, a worldclass cognitive linguist from the University of California-Berkeley, analyzes liberal and conservative ideology in terms of metaphor. Lakoff’s question that he is trying to answer is what divides conservatives and liberals when they are talking about politics, and how does this division relate back to metaphors we use to explain life. Lakoff belives politics is all about morality, and American morality is grounded in the metaphor of the family. Conservatives belive in a Strict Father morality and liberals a Nurturant Parent morality. These family models directly relate to the metaphors that people use to explain and understand politics and shape their own opinions. Lakoff insists that if both models are not understood than it is impossible to understand the various political positions that people take. His argument stems from
The father’s authority derives from the Moral Order, a God-given hierarchy in which man dominates nature and exploits it for his own use, men dominate women and parents dominate children. This authority creates responsibility. Responsibility to provide for, to protect against external evils, and to teach the self-discipline that alone will create the moral strength for combating internal evils and the self-reliance needed for success in life. The Nurturant Parent morality of the liberals is based on moral nurturance. This includes protection as a prerequisite but is primarily based on empathy. Nurturant Parent morality emphasizes social ties, community, interdependence, self-development, happiness, fairness. Nurturant Parent moral authority stems from respect earned through nurturing and setting a good example. Politically, these beliefs translate into policies that respect the voices of all Americans, and that seek to “level the playing field” so every American has a genuine opportunity to pursue his own version of the American