Book description
Why can it sometimes feel as though half the population is living in
a different moral universe from you? Why do ideas such as 'fairness'
and 'freedom' mean such different things to different people? Why is
it so easy to see the flaws in others' arguments, and less in our own?
Jonathan Haidt, one of the world's most influential psychologists,
reveals that the reason we find it so hard to get along is because our
minds are designed to be moral. Not only that, we are hardwired to be
moralistic, judgemental and self-righteous too. Our intrinsic morality
enabled us to form communities and create civilization, and it is the
key to understanding everybody. It explains why some of us are
liberal, others conservative. It is often the difference between war
and peace. It is also why we are the only species that will kill for
an ideal. Drawing on moral psychology, ancient philosophy, modern
politics, poetry, advertising and the semantics of bumper stickers,
Haidt's incredibly wise and enjoyable book examines how morality
evolves; why we are predisposed to believe certain things; how our
surroundings can affect our morality; and how moral values are not
just about justice and fairness - for some people authority, sanctity
or loyalty are more important.
Morality binds and blinds, but with new evidence from his own
empirical research, Haidt proves it is possible to liberate us from
the disputes that divide good people and cooperate with those whose
morals differ from our own. After all, they might just have something
to say.
Jonathan Haidt is a social and cultural psychologist. He received his
Ph. D. in psychology from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 and did
post-doctoral research at the University of Chicago and in Orissa,
India. He has been on the faculty of the University of Virginia since
1995. He is the co-editor of
Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the
Life Well Lived
, and is the author of
The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth
in Ancient Wisdom.
