Introduction Flashcards
What is the first principle for how humans do “moral reasoning”?
Intuitions come first, strategic reasoning second
What comes first, intuition or reasoning?
Intuition
What evolutionary purpose did we evolve moral reasoning for?
To further our social agendas, justify our own actions and to defend the teams we belong to.
Moral arguments are usually developed _____
post-hoc
(after the intuition, on the fly)
What is Haidt’s main metaphore for how we reason?
The elephant rider metaphore.
Explain the elephant-rider metahpor for moral reasoning?
The mind is divided into two parts, elephant and rider
The rider is conscious reasoning - the stream of words and images of which we are fully aware.
The elephant is the other 99% of mental processes that are outside of awareness but govern most of our behaviour.
What is the second principle of moral psychology?
There’s more to morality than harm and fairness.
What is the central metaphor of part 2?
The righteous mind is like a tongue with 6 taste receptors.
What is the 3rd principle of moral psychology?
Morality bind and blinds.
What is the central metaphor for the 3rd principle of moral psychology?
Human beings are 90% chimp and 10% bee.
What does Haidt argue was the purpose of religion in evolution?
An evolutionary adaptation for binding groups together and helping them to create communities with shared morality.
It is not a virus or parasite, as some new atheists argue.
What text from Matthew in the bible that accurately describes how we use moral reasoning?
“You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your neighbours eye.”
Matthew 7:3-5
We are all self-righteous hypocrites
The Perfect Way is only difficult for those who pick and choose; Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear. Make a hairbreadth difference, and Heaven and Earth are set apart; If you want the truth to stand clear before you, never be for or against. The struggle between “for” and “against” is the mind’s worst disease.
What is this in reference to?
Who said this?
How to achieve enlightenment
8th century Chinese Zen Master Sen-ts’an
The take home message from this book is that we are all _______ when it comes to moral reasoning
self-righteous hypocrites
What are the 3 major principles or moral psychology?
- Intutions come first, strategic reasoning second.
- There’s more to morality than harm and fairness
- Morality binds and blinds
