The Righteous Mind
In "The Righteous Mind," Jonathan Haidt explores the moral psychology behind our political divisions and differing moral beliefs. He argues that human morality is shaped by various intuitions and cultural influences, leading to contrasting viewpoints on issues like politics and religion. Haidt emphasizes the importance of understanding and empathizing with opposing perspectives to foster dialogue and cooperation.
17 curated highlights from this book
Key Insights & Memorable Quotes
Below are the most impactful passages and quotes from The Righteous Mind, carefully selected to capture the essence of the book.
The mind is divided, like a rider on an elephant.
Morality binds and blinds.
We are not just thinking machines; we are feeling machines that think.
Our moral judgments are often like the blind men and the elephant.
Intuitions come first, strategic reasoning second.
The righteous mind is like a tongue; it tastes different flavors.
We are all intuitive and we reason to justify our intuitions.
Our moral systems are not just about right and wrong, but also about loyalty and authority.
People are motivated to be moral, but they often misunderstand each other's morality.
The culture we live in shapes our moral intuitions.
We are not designed to be impartial, objective, or rational.
The righteous mind is like a lawyer defending a client.
Different moral foundations lead to different political ideologies.
We often think we are more rational than we actually are.
The moral roots of liberals and conservatives are different.
Our moral judgments are often based on gut feelings.
Reason is often a servant to our emotional needs.