‪The Groupish Gene: Hive Psychology and the Origins of Morality and Religion‬

Leading social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the uniquely human ability for self-transcendence, and shows how this is crucial for understanding the origins of morality and religion.

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Posted by Matthew  on  07/03  at  12:17 AM

I am suspicious of Jonathan Haidt (if only because he lives in Virginia).

Although, I do understand what he means about conservatives, and that was one of the reasons why I identified as a Conservative for so long (that all of the conservatives I knew were so much better at describing and understanding the world - yet somehow that changed).

That said, I am pretty certain that the people who now claim to be "conservatives" are not conservatives.

Posted by René Milan  on  07/03  at  01:14 PM

What I find suspicious is his wearing of a tie. Cui bono ?
But seriously, good talk and good thoughts behind it. Being an atheist I have always been impressed by the command, especially in the catholic church, of the ways of effectively addressing individuals and turning them into members of their "flocks" (while I disagree with most of their objectives). And as a psychotherapist I have met more competent practitioners among priests in the field than among those who hold some meaningless academic psych degree and think they know it all.
On the other hand I have always been able to find "the sacred" in communion with my few friends (and no, that's not a 'good old boys' network, and it's not on facebook - a total stranger can become a close friend within minutes and remain so forever), in communion with nature (including of course technology), and in psychedelic experiences, and of course combinations of the three. So I don't have anything to learn from religious institutions, but maybe societies at large do. Carefully !

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