How can we study minds in their political habitats?
Dr Leor Zimgrod (University of Cambridge) and Professor Manos Tsakiris compiled and edited a Theme issue for the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Biological Sciences on “The Political Brain : neurocognitive and computational mechanisms” , a theme issue that engages with the challenge of studying minds in their political habitats. You can find the special issue here
'We wanted to engage with the challenge of studying minds in their political habitats – what happens when brains enter the ballot box or march on the streets?'
The research presented in this Theme Issue not only illuminates the political brain and how it functions when it is bombarded by the ambiguities and contradictions of ideologies—it also hints at what an informed, evidence-based (brainy) approach to politics could look like. Understanding the tensions between cognitive biases, emotional heuristics, perceptual corridors and socio-political contexts may be essential for politicians, policymakers, and the public as they navigate the bumpy terrain of modern democracies and tyrannies. Political psychology and neuroscience therefore can and should serve both science and societies in the fight against intolerance, dogma and propaganda.