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  • 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
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (557 ratings)

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The Righteous Mind

By: Jonathan Haidt
Narrated by: Jonathan Haidt
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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.

©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)

What listeners say about The Righteous Mind

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everyone needs to listen to this book

I'm convinced that the way forward lies in the ideas and attitudes raised in this book. the left and right are becoming more and more hostile and distant from one another and no good could possibly come from it. within this book are some very important insights that may help is all be a little more open to discussion and compromise

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A fascinating insight into the other side

I am leaving this book feeling more capable of understanding the politics and moral reasoning of those on my political opposite. I am more easily able to empathise with conservatives and can credit them with understanding the necessities underpinning social stability better than my liberal self.

I hope this book's message will find its way into the minds of my partisan friends who I see becoming increasingly divided and polarised against their 'enemies.'

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useful

well structured, well read.
it is layed out very well for a novus in the field like myself.
I found this very useful to understanding myself and others.

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Balanced insights

This book answered some questions for me regarding our intuitive approach to developing morals and beliefs. It was something that my rational liberal Atheist side had difficulty squaring up with both conservative religious and political beliefs of others. However I now can appreciate the core pillars of difference and commonality between them and to take a more yin and yang approach to discussing our differences. Thanks Jon

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recommend to everyone

my boy Haidty at it again with his nuanced explanations of morality. wonderfully in depth discussion

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To much religion as fact for my tast

It started out good, the fairytales of religion posed as facts.... millions of years a go we know... and not theories made me want to quit, but the end was good. made me get some new thoughts.

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Great read

I am mostly liberal in my views and found this a fascinating and useful insight into conservatism. This book is well thought out and walks a treacherous tightrope perfectly.

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Opens your mind

This book opens your mind to how and why you think and react as you do. It's powerful insights are valuable for anyone wanting better relationships with others

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    4 out of 5 stars

Insightful.

A must read book, especially in the current political situation, social polarisation and fading of religion.

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A Great Listen

If you like books that summarise years of research into ethics, you will enjoy this book. Its not the deepest book but still pretty deep and fun to listen to.
The only issue was the volume is low so if you're listening on standard Bluetooth headsets then you should download a sound amplifier. Audible, you should have one built-in on the Audible app.

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