On the Samantha Clemens Show, Saturday morning from 10 to 11am, Samantha welcomes Chris Mooney to talk about his new book “The Republican Brain: The Science of Why They Deny the Science — and Reality”

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From Amazon:

Best selling author Chris Mooney uses cutting-edge research to explain the psychology behind why today

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Guests:

• Mike Dunne, Program Director
  

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Men are Mars and women are Venus, right? That’s what we ‘know.’ That’s what the research says. Men don’t ask directions. Women can’t do math as well. Men don’t talk about their feelings. All women want to do it talk.

It’s all in fun, until parents and teachers and Larry Summers make decisions that affect lives based on … the science.

Except, is that what the science actually says? How rigorous has the research been? Has the peer review system really worked?

Rebecca Jordan-Young, a Barnard College professor of women’s studies, joins us to discuss her book “Brain Storm,” where she sets out to debunk the proliferating “brain-organization” studies that attempt to explain in purely biological terms (since XX and XY seem not to be enough) why males and females differ in one way or another. Or, in some cases, fail to differ.

The book.

Reviews:

LA Times:

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Newsflash!!! Libs and cons view immigration differently!!! We libs are certain that for us, it is a moral issue. Not only is it immoral to let people die of thirst in the desert, it is immoral to not provide healthcare, separate families, withhold a better living standard to people who just out of bad luck were born into a poorer country.

But, is it POSSIBLE that conservatives have their own moral view? That it isn’t just naked self-interest?

We’re going to look at some cutting edge research on the science of morality; studies that have been done globally on the moral intuitions of people and how that effects their stances on immigration and a whole lot of other things.

These guys got together to talk all about it…

Jonathan Haidt has a theory, the Moral Foundations Theory, where he proposes that liberals and conservatives view the world differently:

Moral Foundations Theory was created to understand why morality varies so much across cultures yet still shows so many similarities and recurrent themes. In brief, the theory proposes that five innate and universally available psychological systems are the foundations of

• Hot enough for you? Changing your mind about climate change? If you believe that climate change is happening and we’re destroying the planet, is it immoral to run your air conditioner?
• Arizona, immigration, the feds – Let’s be real – Arizonans are bearing the brunt of the lack of economic opportunity in Mexico. What are we willing to do to help them cope with immigration?
• BP sends Anadarko a bill…

Audio

Guest:

• Dr. Richard Wrangham, author
  

Replay of interview with Jerry Coyne about his great book “Why Evolution is True”

Human Culture Plays a Role in Natural Selection – NYTimes.com.

Biologists are finding evidence that culture has been interacting with genes to shape human evolution.

People who touch are more successful than those who don’t?

It’s Darwin Day!!!! hmmm, doesn’t do it for you, does it? Some old funny-looking guy with a beard… monkeys… church/state….

A little dry, isn’t it?

Well, let’s sex it up folks!!!! Evolution IS sexy… I mean, it’s all about passing on the genes baby, and we KNOW how that’s done, don’t we?? (wink, wink)

Joining us:

• Dr. Kerim M. Munir, MD, MPH, DSc; Director Center for Autism and Related Disorders; Children’s Hospital; has been studying the early life of Charles Darwin for many years, combining his vast knowledge of children’s developmental psychology with his personal connection to Darwin – family members of his have attended the boarding school where Darwin spent his formative years and the seeds of his education were sown.