“Our moral thinking is much more like a politician searching for votes than a scientist searching for truth.”–Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind
Jonathan Haidt distills 25 years of studying moral philosophy in this book as he describes how our moral feelings often arise from a gut feeling or instinct rather than rational thought. We become so convinced of the rightness of our view that we will often go to absurdly illogical lengths to defend it, including citing crazy “facts” found on the internet. Haidt illustrates why liberals, conservatives, and libertarians have such different gut feelings as to what is right and wrong and the role of the five foundations of morality. As we learn to understand why people feel the way they do, we can better understand them and work to find common ground.
Haidt’s writing style is accessible and the examples he shares will at times blow your mind. Now more than ever, rational voices are needed and Haidt does his best to help people of differing views come together in a spirit of cooperation.
Content Advisory: Language