Political Psychology and Human Nature

Catalog description

The 2016 presidential campaign season saw a marked increase in partisanship, polarization, animosity and resentment among Americans, mirroring a worldwide trend toward “tribalistic” group identification at the expense of outsiders. Why can’t we all just get along? What makes it so hard to sympathize with those who seem different or unfamiliar, and so easy to assume the worst about them? This course will bring together classic political theory, psychology and the social sciences, in order to help explain political beliefs and behaviors. We will begin by considering how classic political theory has conceptualized human nature, and the various implications for political life. We will then consider scientific perspectives: evolutionary anthropology, social psychology and cognitive neuroscience. We will examine the role of bias in cognition and politics and we will critically interrogate assumptions about rationality. We will also see that different psychological dispositions underlay conservatism and liberalism. Ultimately, this course will consider how these features of human cognition shed light on partisanship and polarization, racial bias, and policy preferences, including popular reception of science concerning vital issues such as climate change and the safety of GMOs. We will conclude with considerations of how a better understanding of psychology might propel us toward a more productive political discourse.