Social reality is so complicated that, once you join one team or the other, you become specialized in detecting certain patterns, but you become blind to other patterns.
Jonathan HaidtRead
Morality binds people into groups. It gives us tribalism, it gives us genocide, war, and politics. But it also gives us heroism, altruism, and sainthood.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Morality unites people but can lead to both positive and negative consequences.
This quote by Jonathan Haidt highlights the dual nature of morality in society. While it can foster unity and altruism among individuals, it can also give rise to conflict, division, and violence when groups prioritize their moral beliefs over others. Morality serves as a double-edged sword, shaping both our heroic impulses and our darker impulses towards tribalism and war.
Themes
MoralityTribalismHeroismAltruismSociety
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the impact of morality on society, this quote can illustrate the complex nature of moral beliefs.
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All quotes βUnderstanding the simple fact that morality differs around the world, and even within societies, is the first step toward understanding your righteous mind.
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Suppose you read about a pill that you could take once a day to reduce anxiety and increase your contentment. Would you take it? Suppose further that the pill has a great variety of side effects, all of them good: increased self-esteem, empathy, and trust; it even improves memory. Suppose, finally, that the pill is all natural and costs nothing. Now would you take it? The pill exists. It is meditation.
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Trying to run Congress without human relationships is like trying to run a car without motor oil. Should we be surprised when the whole thing freezes up?
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If you grow up in a WEIRD society, you become so well educated in the ethic of autonomy that you can detect oppression and inequality even where the apparent victims see nothing wrong.
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When you hear someone criticize a policy on the other side, that's fine. But when you start hearing motive-mongering and demonization, stand up to it just as you would if it were something that was racist or sexist. If we avoid the demonization, disagreements can be positive.
Jonathan HaidtRead
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