The Righteous Mind

Jonathan Haidt's 2012 social psychology book examines how human morality shapes politics and religion. The first part argues that beliefs come mainly from intuition, with reasoning arriving afterward to justify them, an idea Haidt captures in the image of a rider who believes he is in charge of an elephant. The second part sets out moral foundations theory, comparing the mind's moral senses to taste receptors and naming six: care, fairness, liberty, loyalty, authority and sanctity. Haidt applies the theory to liberals, conservatives and libertarians. The third part proposes that people can be groupish as well as selfish, describing a hypothetical hive switch and group practices like dancing and singing in unison. It became a New York Times best seller.

Jay Shetty named it one of 10 books that changed his life, and Mark Manson put it on his list of the best books on politics, saying it is vital for understanding why people believe what they believe.