The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion

religion is (probably) an evolutionary adaptation for binding groups together and helping them to create communities with a shared morality.

morality is the key to understanding humanity.

cultures: all societies must resolve a small set of questions about how to order society, the most important being how to balance the needs of individuals and groups.

“reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions, and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them.”

Most societies have chosen the sociocentric answer, placing the needs of groups and institutions first, and subordinating the needs of individuals. In contrast, the individualistic answer places individuals at the center and makes society a servant of the individual.

moral reasoning was often a servant of moral emotions,

We also have the ability, under special circumstances, to shut down our petty selves and become like cells in a larger body, or like bees in a hive, working for the good of the group.

that altruism is mostly aimed at members of our own groups.

the rider’s job is to serve the elephant.