Non-Fiction
The Righteous Mind
Mood
Contemplative, Wry
Parental Rating
PG
Jonathan Haidt argues that human morality runs on intuition first and reasoning second. His central metaphor is an elephant and a rider: the elephant is fast, automatic moral feeling, and the rider is conscious reason, which mostly explains and defends what the elephant has already decided. Building on years of psychology research, Haidt lays out moral foundations theory, which holds that people draw on different bundles of moral intuitions, such as care, fairness, loyalty, authority, and sanctity. He then uses the theory to explain why liberals, conservatives, and libertarians keep talking past each other. The book moves from the science of moral judgment to a plea for more understanding across political and religious divides.
