I have been fascinated by what people bring away from listening to political debates and sermons. This book explains why we believe what we believe.
.Haidt discusses how we supply convenient rationalizations for what we already want to do. He puts forward a Moral Foundations Theory, explaining what liberals and conservatives value.
Wisdom, Haidt writes, "requires us all to take the logs out of our own eyes and then escape from our ceaseless, petty and devisive moralism."
The observation was made that people on the right are called 'conservatives' because they are more reluctant to change, and prefer instead to 'preserve and conserve'. People on the left are called 'progressives' because they are more open to change and often wish to hasten it.
What the author doesn't discuss is how these groups can be brought together and come to appreciate those who see reality from a different perspective.
This book was not an easy read but it was valuable for the insights gained.