The Righteous Mind

Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion

By: Jonathan Haidt

Narrated by: Jonathan Haidt

Length: 11 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Why can’t our political leaders work together as threats loom and problems mount? Why do people so readily assume the worst about the motives of their fellow citizens?

In The Righteous Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the origins of our divisions and points the way forward to mutual understanding. His starting point is moral intuition - the nearly instantaneous perceptions we all have about other people and the things they do. These intuitions feel like self-evident truths, making us righteously certain that those who see things differently are wrong.

Haidt shows us how these intuitions differ across cultures, including the cultures of the political left and right. He blends his own research findings with those of anthropologists, historians, and other psychologists to draw a map of the moral domain, and he explains why conservatives can navigate that map more skillfully than can liberals. He then examines the origins of morality, overturning the view that evolution made us fundamentally selfish creatures.

But rather than arguing that we are innately altruistic, he makes a more subtle claim - that we are fundamentally groupish. It is our groupishness, he explains, that leads to our greatest joys, our religious divisions, and our political affiliations. In a stunning final chapter on ideology and civility, Haidt shows what each side is right about, and why we need the insights of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians to flourish as a nation.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2012 Jonathan Haidt (P)2012 Gildan Media LLC

Critic reviews

"Haidt is looking for more than victory. He's looking for wisdom. That's what makes The Righteous Mind well worth reading…. a landmark contribution to humanity’s understanding of itself.” ( The New York Times Book Review)

The makings of a good worldview ...

... could change yours. I already changed my mind though. Helped explain the evolutionary basis for a lot of the things I've been learning about in the past two years. Made me rethink and change my mind about some postmodern ideas. Not that we should accept moral relativism. It's more about human understanding.

Required Reading

I think this sound be required reading for anyone wanting insight into the minds of the “Other Side”.

I have recently been increasingly distressed by the partisanship in politics and this book helped identify the underlying reasons for why people feel connected to their parties.

amazing

loved this book. amazing insight on morality, and why we think the way we do

one of the three most important books of the last

I have read Jonathan Haidt's other books but I feel there is something special about this book in this particular historical moment. I would say that, right behind "thinking fast and slow", this is one of the most important books written in the last 30 years in terms of helping us understand the human experience. Speaking as someone who grew up and still lives and a very progressive area, this book did more to open my eyes to the shortcomings of my own worldview than any other. Such openings are needed right now in the face of cancel culture and pervasive silencing of heterodox views.

Have you ever wondered: Can we all just get along?

If so, this is a must read.

Everyone needs to hear the messages in this book. Useful for daily life and dealing with groups and just being human. Insightful and interesting. I intend to find more on this subject and would read more by this author.
The author doesn’t promote any political ideals and has researched each from neutral ground.

Empathy for Alternatives

This book provides a good foundation for building Empathy towards alternative view points in political intercourse.

Should Be A Part of Education For Everyone

No matter where you stand, as far as politics or religion, this is wonderful for explaining the other side (or both sides, if you are an agnostic centrist, like myself). I wish more people had the opportunity to read this, as I believe it would soften hearts and open minds. The world needs more understanding of differing views and where they come from. We all need to reconnect with one another. Great book! I will be recommending it to anyone interested in solving the paradox of this title.

A bible for understanding others

If you want to understand tribalism, religion, or politics, this book is a must-read. It forms a cornerstone of my worldview.

I think in the modern world it's helpful to have a framework for predicting and understanding other people. Jonathan Haidt explains why people become tribal, why people seem blind to rationality, and gives some suggestions for what to do about it.

everyone should read

A well written, eye opening, incredibly wise and compassionate book. It should be required reading for highschool and college students. This is Haidt's second book I have read and I'm buying the third.

A good book about thinking and reasoning

excellent insight and then summation of basic thought principles in society. Many principles here have been expounded upon in concept books in the last many years. Basic concepts here have helped put a good Summary of this field and thinking.