The Righteous Mind

DATE: Thursday, September 27
TIME: 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: Grace United Methodist Church in Naperville, IL
RE: The Righteous Mind

A link to John Gillham's Paper

Are you conservative or progressive?  Ever wonder why people on the other side have such a hard time listening to reason?  As we approach the next U.S. Presidential election, the Rev. John Gillham will present on The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. 

Haidt is a social psychologist who attempts to bridge the divide between competing views by opening our minds to the moral intuitions of other people.  He believes our society would be better off if reason and intuition interact in healthier ways.

In light of his research, Haidt suggests some guidelines. First, help citizens to develop more sympathetic relationships so that we try to understand one another instead of using reason as a weapon to disarm another point of view.  Second, create space for contemplation.  Studies show that a couple of minutes spent reflecting on a good argument can actually change a person’s mind.  Third, break down the ideological segregation in our society.  Increasingly, Americans are living among people who think just like them.

How might Haidt's research and proposals be helpful to congregations and communities in an era of extreme partisanship? 

 

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