What are the differences between Liberals and Conservatives?

One way to help bridge the political divide and reduce political polarization in the United States is for both sides to better understand one another. The alternative may be the catastrophic failure of our democracy within the next few decades.

In our October meeting we will view an 18-minute video featuring Psychologist Jonathan Haidt who has studied the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we're left, right, or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most. Jonathan Haidt studies how -- and why -- we evolved to be moral. When it comes to politics we may not be as rational as we may think. By understanding more about our moral roots, Haidt’s hope is that we can learn to be civil and open-minded.

Jonathan David Haidt is a social psychologist and Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business. His main areas of study are the psychology of morality and the moral emotions. He has written about how morality is shaped by emotion and intuition more than by reasoning, and why differing political groups have different notions of right and wrong.

Haidt has written three books for general audiences: "The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom" (2006), "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion" (2012), and "The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure" (2018), co-written with Greg Lukianoff.

He has been named one of the "top global thinkers" by Foreign Policy magazine, and one of the "top world thinkers" by Prospect magazine. He is among the most cited researchers in political and moral psychology, and is considered among the top 25 most influential living psychologists.

The video will be followed by a discussion and sharing of ideas. Your ideas and participation are welcome.

As usual, we will meet from 6 to 9 PM upstairs at the Moonstruck Restaurant located at 449 Third Avenue at the Southeast corner of East 31st Street, New York. Please bring friends and family; have dinner at 6, if you can, but all are welcome anytime. We will start the video at 7:00 PM to allow time for discussion after.