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
When I began my work on how morality varies across the political spectrum, there was a partisan, manipulative element to it. I wanted to help the Democrats win.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the author's initial motivation to analyze morality with a partisan aim, shedding light on the complexities of political bias in moral reasoning.
Jonathan Haidt expresses a self-reflective moment in his work regarding the variations of morality along the political spectrum. He acknowledges that his desire to contribute positively to the Democratic party's success may have influenced his perspective, highlighting the intricate relationship between personal beliefs and objective analysis in the realm of morality within politics.
Themes
MoralityPoliticsPartisanshipBiasDemocrats
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on political morality, a speaker referenced this quote to illustrate the impact of personal bias on scholarly work.
More from Jonathan Haidt
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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