‘The Righteous Mind,’ by Jonathan Haidt

The Righteous Mind: 

Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

Jon Haidt uses the social science of psychology to explain the origins and future of morality. 

• What binds people together?
• Are people rational or intuitive? 
• Is the news for information or entertainment? 
• Is there one and only one right way, one master moral code? 
• Will religious and political diversity lead us to tolerance and acceptance, or to division and suspicion?

I have heard of other Positive Psychologists, notably Prof. Martin Seligman at U Penn. However, I had not heard of Prof. Jonathan Haidt at U Va until my Uncle mentioned him. Now I cannot wait to read his latest book, The Righteous Mind, and learn more about his philosophy.

Sequence of Events

• April 29. My Uncle shows me his copy of The Righteous Mind. I make note of it and add it to my wish list.
• May 2. I catch author Jon Haidt on the Colbert Report, and text my Uncle.
• May 3. Good email feedback from my Uncle inspires me to introduce Haidt to blog readers with my endorsement.

Central ideas: 

• All things are connected, and 
• Getting along, i.e., maintaining balance, is essential. 

Here are some helpful resources for understanding Haidt:

• Haidt's U Va website http://people.virginia.edu/~jdh6n/ 
• Haidt's TED profile http://www.ted.com/speakers/jonathan_haidt.html
• Haidt's Wikipedia biography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Haidt
• Haidt's Righteous Mind book website http://righteousmind.com/ 
• Amazon's Righteous Mind book review http://www.amazon.com/The-Righteous-Mind-Politics-Religion/dp/0307377903
• NY Times' (Liberal?) Righteous Mind book review nytimes.com/books/review/the-righteous-mind-by-jonathan-haidt 
• Wall Street Journal's (Conservative?) Righteous Mind book review http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304692804577281311514282028.html