The Righteous Mind

In “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion,” social psychologist Jonathan Haidt delves into the complexities of human morality and the underlying factors that shape our moral and political beliefs. Haidt’s central argument revolves around the idea that moral reasoning is often driven more by intuition and emotion than by rational thought. He introduces the metaphor of the mind as a rider on an elephant, where the elephant represents intuitive and emotional processes, and the rider symbolizes conscious reasoning. Haidt’s exploration takes readers on a journey through the foundations of morality, examining how factors like evolution, cultural upbringing, and group dynamics contribute to the formation of moral judgments.