ABSTRACT
Since the turn of the 21st century, there has been an alarming rise in anger and hostility in American politics. This increasing political hatred has important consequences for personal relationships and the ability of government to address social problems. On a personal level, political hostility can weaken valuable friendships and even cause estrangement from family members. Research suggests that the best way to reduce political anger is for people to learn the arguments for opposing viewpoints. The overall purpose of this book is to reduce political hostility by helping readers understand the real sources of political disagreements. This chapter begins with an overview of political hostility in the American public and a discussion of its consequences for individuals and governments. The chapter then explains how learning opposing arguments is the best way to reduce political hostility. Finally, the chapter concludes with a brief preview of the structure of the book and the contributions of each chapter.
