Whose Freedom?

Berkeley linguistics don George Lakoff came roaring out of academia and into political celebrity after the presidential election of 2004. Republicans, said Lakoff, were trouncing Democrats at the polls by using language to frame every debate their way. The proudly partisan professor said it was time for liberal progressives to fight back or fade away.

Now, Lakoff is making an even bigger claim: that American conservatives are rapidly redefining the idea of freedom itself — away, he claims, from its traditional American meaning and into something smaller and meaner, something dangerous.

Hear a conversation with George Lakoff on language, the American mind, and the future of freedom.

Guests:

George Lakoff, author of "Whose Freedom? The Battle Over America's Most Important Idea" and professor of cognitive science and linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley

Kellyanne Conway, Republican pollster and president of The Polling Company

Jack Beatty, On Point News Analyst, senior editor at The Atlantic Monthly.