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)

Read it!

This is a thoughtful and interesting discussion of important and timeless ideas.

Well worth a listen!

Transformative

The Righteous Mind was so good, so interesting, and so well written that I genuinely feel transformed at the end of it. While I don’t see quite eye to eye with Haidt on religion (as an enormous Christopher Hitchens fan) I thought his critiques were worthwhile and sharp.

His expertise in the study of psychology allows him to bring forth carefully explored ideas with masterful diligence.

I feel that I have gained new perspectives from this book, and hope more people give it a try. Very, very good.

I learned so much about my own hidden biases

The author narrates this book, which is always my preference. He carefully lays out his argument in a way that didn't trigger my biases.... until the end. This book has allowed me to see my own biases, which I just assumed were my own factual, reasonable assumptions about the world. His incorporation of instinct and reflexive reactions make so much sense. I bought this for my self righteous ultra conservative parents, and then found that I, a self righteous liberal, needed it just as much.

interesting perspective on the political divide.

it was an interesting perspective on the political divide. treated both sides with compassion and rational understanding.
if you are frustrated by the current state of politics, no matter your political views, it is enlightening.

Great book !!

It's great way at looking at things, and it make humans lot more understanding why they do things in a way.

Eye Opening - Thought Provoking

Any additional comments?

So thorough in presenting his position and the opposing positions. Really a great book.

Brilliant

I love the full thought that Haidt completes. He points out "the log in your own eye" for both sides of religion and politics, and does so with a purpose for understanding and more civil dialogue. His points on tribalism within groups as well as intuition before reason are scientifically sound, yet his own conclusions will likely be not taken well by some people because of the exact reasons he points out in the book (aka those that don't intuitively get it)

Anytime an author reads their own book it's an awesome version. Absolutely true here. I'll probably listen again.

eye opening and educational

Very nice description of people and how similar we are in our differences. This very educational study affords the reader a chance to understand how good people may disagree about various topics. I think this type of writing takes us closer to being more patient and better listeners as we argue about public policy and social perspectives. Now we just need people to read this book... in significant numbers.

a very important book for modern times

This book gave me a very solid framework for understanding why conservatives and liberals have such a hard time understanding each other, and also why we seem to be on this continuous downward spiral of political acrimony.

Loved it

Fascinating and insightful; I fully enjoyed the entire book. It encourages us to listen and engage on a personal level.