Red Genes, Blue Genes

Book excerpt: Modern science postulates that our political predispositions can be traced to our genes. To some extent, there is such a thing as "red-state" or "blue-state" DNA. Our brains likewise bear the evolutionary imprint of hundreds of thousands of years of political wiring-for biased partisanship. The result is a political landscape characterized by irrationality and hostility. Americans today, like citizens of many other countries, find themselves trapped in hostile "red" vs. "blue" political warfare. While liberals and conservatives fight each other for power and influence, the world's problems go unsolved. Using recent scientific evidence from neuroscience, behavioral genetics, and evolutionary and cognitive psychology, Red Genes, Blue Genes is the first book to take a comprehensive look at the phenomenon of political irrationality. This book seeks to unravel a number of political mysteries: Why does it seem that liberals and conservatives are different kinds of people? Why are political arguments so hostile and impervious to reason? Why are partisans and political figures so certain they are right all the time? Why are citizens everywhere unsatisfied with "democratic" systems of government? Why are political campaigns so shallow, vicious and manipulative? This book provides answers to the above questions, showing how understanding political irrationality may enable us to devise new systems of government that are truly democratic. Book jacket.