Beattie - Social Evolution, Political Psychology, and the Media in Democracy

Peter Beattie

Social Evolution, Political Psychology, and the Media in Democracy The Invisible Hand in the U.S. Marketplace of Ideas

This is a brilliant and truly intellectual book worthy of a hundred conversations on contemporary civilization.

Edward O. Wilson, University Research Professor Emeritus, Harvard University

If I were to tell you that someone has written a book that melds together ideas about information dissemination consumption, evolutionary psychology, and a normative critique of the American media, you might not believe it was possible. But youd be wrong. Social Evolution, Political Psychology, and the Media in Democracy explains how humans think, what they believe, what they hear, and why it is often bad for American democracy. But he also offers us a way forward through a comparison with other countries. In todays politically deteriorating environment, we need a book like this.

Brian Rathbun, Professor of International Relations at University of Southern California, and author of Reasoning of State: Realists, Romantics and Rationality in International Relations

In this quirky, clever, and creative work, Peter Beattie leads us on a wild romp through evolutionary biology, social psychology, history, politics, literature, and philosophy to understand why democracy is failing and the human race is flirting with extinctionand what, if anything, can be done about it. No questions could be more important for us to ponder at this time.

John T. Jost, Professor of Psychology and Politics, and Co-Director of the Center for Social and Political Behavior at New York University

We are what we got fed by the news media, to a great extent. Armed with a social evolutionary approach toward artificial selection in the marketplace of ideas, Peter Beattie has ably shown that psychology tends to prime us into accepting and rejecting certain ideas and how the news media tends to supply those ideas that fit into our biases. A penetrating critique of the news media today and a passionate defense of a new marketplace of ideas for democracy.

Shiping Tang, Distinguished Professor of International Relations and Public Affairs at Fudan University, and author of The Social Evolution of International Politics

Corrupted by corporate interests and vulnerable to easy manipulation, our news media system is failing us. Beattie makes an urgent and compelling case for bringing it under democratic controlfor the sake of preserving democracy itself. This book couldnt be more timely. In an era of dangerous political instability and ecological breakdown, we need media that delivers critical, fact-based communication now more than ever before.

Jason Hickel, Lecturer of Anthropology at Goldsmiths, University of London, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and author of The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions

Dedicated to young women and men

very wise men, perhaps quite worthy to govern, have written in France, Spain and England on the administration of states. Their books have done much good: not that it corrected the ministers who were in office when the book appeared, for a minister does not and cannot correct himself. He has reached his full status. No more instruction, no more advice. He has not the time to listen to them, the tide of business carries him away. But these good books form the young men destined for office, they form the princes, and the second generation is educated.

Voltaire, Philosophical Dictionary , States, governments: which is the best?

What kind of truth is this which is true on one side of a mountain and false on the other?