The Republican Brain

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What to expect

Bestselling author Chris Mooney uses cutting-edge research to explain the psychology behind why today’s Republicans reject reality—it’s just part of who they are. From climate change to evolution, the rejection of mainstream science among Republicans is growing, as is the denial of expert consensus on the economy, American history, foreign policy, and much more. Why won’t Republicans accept things that most experts agree on? Why are they constantly fighting against the facts? Science writer Chris Mooney explores brain scans, polls, and psychology experiments to explain why conservatives today believe more wrong things, appear more likely than Democrats to oppose new ideas and less likely to change their beliefs in the face of new facts, and sometimes respond to compelling evidence by doubling down on their current beliefs.

Certain to spark discussion and debate, The Republican Brain also promises to add to the lengthy list of persuasive scientific findings that Republicans reject and deny.

Critics Review

  • “Drawing on a growing body of empirical research, he provides an intelligent, nuanced, and persuasive account of how conservatives and liberals tend to differ at the level of psychology and personality.”

    Financial Times
  • “Mooney [is] a thoughtful and fair-minded critic of conservatism…The Republican Brain is an interesting and thought-provoking work.”

    Daily Beast
  • “In the end, Mooney even goes so far as to argue that liberals and conservatives have complementary strengths, and if conservatives remain intransigently opposed to liberalism in America today, then it’s up to American liberals to learn the benefits of becoming more conservative, at least on the psychological level. It’s this dual nature of Mooney’s message (at least) that makes this book a good deal more interesting and important than it might at first appear to be, while also intentionally raising more questions than it can possibly answer.”

    al-Jazeera

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