To the Editor:
Ah, Mr. Brooks, you have been hoisted on your own petard. Your very emotional response (August 26, 2007 “Stop Making Sense”) to Dr. Westen’s book only proves his point. I assume you wanted to present a rational argument, but it doesn’t sound anything but prejudiced, sarcastic and, well, argumentative.
People respond to their own emotional needs. For instance, John Kerry may have appealed to widespread emotional needs for maturity, fatherly protectiveness, quiet leadership and reserve. When he didn’t fight back after the Swift Boat attacks, he was a disappointment. Emotions all.
If reason could always trump emotional bias, members of the Supreme Court, all Constitutional scholars, would always agree. But they, like the rest of us, are human and make choices colored by their emotions. Isn’t that a reasonable conclusion Mr.Brooks ?
Leslie Schweitzer-Miller, M.D.
Click to read of David Brooks’ review of “The Political Brain: The Role of Emotion in Deciding the Fate of the Nation” by Drew Westen appeared in The New York Times.