What is biopolitics?

Psychophysiology, cognition, and political differences

“…Questions about the relationships between mind, body, and politics have long been integral to political philosophy and the history of political thought, with classical scholars such as Plato and Aristotle and Western state-of-nature theorists such as Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau contemplating and questioning the role of physiology in political behavior (Arnhart, 1981;Masters, 1989). While research on the influence of psychophysiology on politics within contemporary political science dates back more than 40 years (Keating et al, 1981;Lodge et al, 1975;Madsen, 1986;McHugo et al, 1985;Peterson & Somit, 1982;Wahlke, 1979;Wahlke & Lodge, 1972;Watts & Sumi, 1979), the popularity of this topic declined in the late 1980s, a casualty of the popularity of behavioralist and rational paradigms (Peterson & Somit, 2017 Also motivating this increased attention are recent changes in the political landscapes of many Western democracies which are driven by polarization (Mason, 2018) and the activation of citizens' baser instincts. To better understand these phenomena, political scientists are drawing on a broad interdisciplinary literature on cognition, psychology, and physiology.…”

Causation and Behavior: The Necessity and Benefits of Incorporating Evolutionary Thinking into Political Science

“…For historical reasons, many political scientists are unfamiliar with the complexities associated with the inclusion of biological factors in the study of behavior (Sprinkle, 2017). This unfamiliarity is a potential source of misunderstanding that can impede political science's development (Bannister, 2010; Peterson and Somit, 2017). To avoid such setbacks, this article provides a map to navigate the complex understanding of behavior that has emerged from the evolutionary sciences.…”