MNA Online Book Club — Good Reasonable People by Keith Payne

Join us online Sunday January 11th at 2 PM to discuss Good Reasonable People: The Psychology Behind America's Dangerous Divide by Keith Payne.

There has been much written about the impact of polarization on elections, political parties, and policy outcomes. But Keith Payne’s goal is more personal: to focus on what our divisions mean for us as individuals, as families, and as communities. This book is about how ordinary people think about politics, why talking about it is so hard, and how we can begin to mend the personal bonds that are fraying for so many of us.

Drawing upon his own research and his experience growing up in a working class, conservative Christian family in small town Kentucky, Payne argues that there is a near-universal human tendency to believe that people who are different from us are irrational or foolish. The fundamental source of our division is our need to flexibly rationalize ideas in order to see ourselves as good people.

Understanding the psychology behind our political divide provides clues about how we can reduce the damage it is causing. It won’t allow us to undo our polarization overnight, but it can give us the tools to stop going around in circles in frustrating arguments. It can help us make better choices about how we engage in political debates, how policy makers and social media companies deal with misinformation, and how we deal with each other on social media. It can help us separate, if we choose to, our political principles from our personal relationships so that we can nurture both.

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Tentative future books:
How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America by Heather Cox Richardson
Starry Messenger: Cosmic Perspectives on Civilization by Neil deGrasse Tyson
The Wisdom of Plagues by Donald McNeil

If you are interested in any of these titles, or have other book suggestions, please message me or leave a comment below.