Our Political Nature

The Evolutionary Origins of What Divides Us

By: Avi Tuschman

Narrated by: Jay Snyder

The first book to tell the natural history of political orientations.

Our Political Nature is the first book to reveal the hidden roots of our most deeply held moral values. It shows how political orientations across space and time arise from three clusters of measurable personality traits. These clusters entail opposing attitudes toward tribalism, inequality, and differing perceptions of human nature. Together, these traits are by far the most powerful cause of left-right voting, even leading people to regularly vote against their economic interests.

As this book explains, our political personalities also influence our likely choice of a mate, and shape society's larger reproductive patterns. Most importantly of all, it tells the evolutionary stories of these crucial personality traits, which stem from epic biological conflicts.

Based on dozens of exciting new insights from primatology, genetics, neuroscience, and anthropology, this groundbreaking work brings core concepts to life through current news stories and personalities. For instance, listeners will meet Glenn Beck and Hugo Chavez and come to understand the underlying evolutionary forces they represent. By blending serious research with relevant contemporary examples, Our Political Nature casts important light onto the ideological clashes that so dangerously divide and imperil our world today.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2013 Avi Tuschman (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Fascinating book filled with great information...

Would you consider the audio edition of Our Political Nature to be better than the print version?

I only read the audio version.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Our Political Nature?

It answers why babies cry in the middle of the night. Who knew? It's not because they are hungry.

Have everyone you know read this.

Wonderfully researched. Incredibly informative. Given the current political climate in the US and over much of the world, everyone needs to read this book to understand the basic differences that make some conservative and some liberal rather than just yelling at each other. Pure science. I listened for political bias and I couldn't find any.

learned a lot.

I learned a lot about why people are the way they are from this book.

Inserting Listen

I recommend this book to anyone who has a question about how politics shape our world, and why people think the way that they do. Very interesting listen.

Crystal-clear, non-partisan, brilliant.

Crystal-clear, fact-based explanation of evolutionary psychology for everyday people--arguably the best popular, non-partisan book on this topic since Robert Wright’s “The Moral Animal," which remains a classic in the popular science literature. Narration of the audiobook version is brilliant.

“Our Political Nature” is not only about politics, but it is definitely essential reading for everyone who wants to understand the measurable factors that compel us to vote the way we do. Most people will be surprised by what they learn.

Some highlights:

Virtually every human being-- in almost every country throughout the world, regardless of who is in power-- will claim that they fall somewhere along a left-right spectrum.

Most people, self-identified as “left or right”, “liberal or conservative”, do not understand what actually motivates people to vote the way they do.

The political leanings of individuals correlate with specific patterns in MRI scans.

Identical twins raised apart have more closely correlated political leanings than fraternal ones.

Three parameters are critical motivators in human behavior: tribalism, views on inequality, and views of human nature.

After an enlightening introduction, six parts of the book are brilliantly organized as follows:

1. Tribalism
2. Biological roots of tribalism
3. Views on inequality
4. Biological roots of views on inequality
5. Views of human nature
6. Biological roots of views of human nature, including altruism and parenting.

Anyone who has strong opinions about nature vs. nurture owes it to themselves to read this book. Engaging, readable, and thoroughly researched.

If you care about the truth read this book.

Would you listen to Our Political Nature again? Why?

Yes, this a major work, it needs to be carefully consider.

What other book might you compare Our Political Nature to and why?

Better Angels of our Nature, by Steven pinker, would make a Great companion book.

What about Jay Snyder’s performance did you like?

It was easy to listen to at 2X. Voice was clear and anonsation perfect.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. Do you self a favor and reflect on the significance of what is being said. Avi Tuschman, tries very hard to stay out of the book. He tries to take the perspective of the alien who is studying human life on earth.

Any additional comments?

Avi Tuschman, has put together a toolbox that can help the politician as well as the constituents the world over to think about the issue that we face in life from a lofty vantage point. It's time we look at how we govern, and this is a great book to help us alongh our way.

Excellent ! Covers so many facets of human nature.

I can’t believe how much of humanity is covered in this relatively short book. Listeners/readers will easily recognize current political behaviours in the world as types are identified and analyzed. I was stunned as I became aware “it’s all been done” in the political spheres. Once you know what the human trends have been throughout history, you may laugh and cry at the same time. But at least you’ll know!

There are chapters here that run a little long, revealing the research too much, so it plateaus at times. But it is so worth hearing this author out.

A Trivial Version of Haidt's "The Righteous Mind"

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I understand the business of writing money-making books by regurgitating the works of others for fun and profit. And I understand the need to simplify works for less academic readers. But I also understand not giving credit to the people who you're copying. Especially when it's by attempting to avoid references to them. I also understand the use of obscurant language, and bias as propaganda. And oversimplification and analogy as a means of inserting deception.

This is a weak attempt by an also-ran author to insert his political bias into the political discourse as a substitute for scholarship. It's not plagiarism per se. Because that would add insult to the prior work.

Read Haidt instead. It is a balanced work by the leading academic in the field. If you read "The Righteous Mind", "Explanation of Ideology: Family Structure & Social System", "The Red Queen", and "Demonic Males" you will know pretty much the moral origins of human beings. If you read Andrew Heywood's "Political Ideologies : An Introduction" that will explain political discourse.

The fact is, that moral codes are largely genetic. What isn't genetic is determined by the structure of the family (absolute nuclear, nuclear, traditional, extended or tribal). What isn't determined by family structure is determined by economics. However, this is all misleading because MORAL sensibilities are different from VOTING PATTERNS.

American voting patterns can be reduced to this single statement, and nothing else matters:

---"93% of blacks, 70% of Latinos, 60% of those under 30, and 62% of single people, voted for Obama. And white married couples over 30 years of age voted for Romney. Not much else matters."---
--Dick Morris"

NOTHING ELSE MATTERS - WE ARE TRIBAL CREATURES.

Would you ever listen to anything by Avi Tuschman again?

No.