A world-renowned linguist, George Lakoff’s research on language-based metaphor, the embodied mind and the overall structure of language have shaped our understanding of the relationship between what we say and what we’re thinking. George spent the last few election cycles applying this expertise to the realm of politics. He’s written a number of books on the subject, including Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think in 1996, and his latest book, The Political Mind: Why You Can't Understand 21st-Century American Politics With an 18th-Century Brain. He founded the Rockridge Institute—a progressive think tank dedicated to reframing political thought and debate—and continues to teach cognitive linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley. When asked the most important thing to remember when framing political debates, George replies simply, “Words matter.”

Less ↑