.png)
Why Logic Doesn't Win Hearts — and What Might
- Meridith Byrne
- Oct 5
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 6
Book reflection: The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt — 3/5 flames.
You’ve probably noticed it by now: no one’s changing their mind. We keep tossing facts, memes, and moral outrage across the divide, and somehow, it all bounces off.
I’ve been reading Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, and while it’s not exactly light reading (dense, fascinating, occasionally repetitive — high rating for ideas, but lower score for accessibility), it offers a clue to what’s going wrong in our national shouting match.
Haidt’s big point is simple but radical: we don’t reason our way to our moral beliefs — we feel our way there, and then use reason to justify it.
He calls this the “elephant and the rider.” The elephant is our emotional, intuitive self; the rider is our rational self trying to steer. But most of the time, the elephant goes where it wants, and the rider just explains why that was obviously the right direction.
Before you get your dander up, nobody is calling anyone illogical. Rather, Haidt takes a realistic approach by saying: as humans, we lead with our gut-sense of right and wrong, and we backfill with logic. Think about it honestly, and you might agree he has a point.
Curiosity as the Missing Piece
This is where curiosity comes in. If our moral instincts differ, the only way forward isn’t louder argument — it’s curiosity.
Every culture, and every political tribe, weights the moral foundations differently: care, fairness, loyalty, authority, sanctity, and liberty.
Some prioritize care and fairness above all else. Others see loyalty or sanctity as the glue that holds a community together. When we look at moral differences in other countries, we tend to observe them anthropologically — “that’s how they see the world.” But at home, we treat moral difference as threat or heresy.
Maybe we could do better. Maybe curiosity isn’t moral relativism — maybe it’s the starting point for actual understanding.
Why MAGA Persuades (Even If You Think It Shouldn’t)
Take the MAGA movement. For all its distortions and manipulations, it speaks fluently to moral foundations that matter deeply to many conservatives — loyalty, authority, sanctity, liberty. It offers emotional belonging, a sense of order, and the feeling that something sacred is being protected.
We can condemn the manipulation and acknowledge the method: people want their moral worlds to feel seen.
Where Liberals Might Expand
If progressives want to counter authoritarianism, they need more than facts — they need emotional fluency.
That means learning to speak the moral languages that the far right hijacks:
Loyalty: reframing patriotism as shared stewardship — love of country expressed through care, not exclusion.
Authority: honoring legitimate leadership while insisting on accountability.
Sanctity: reclaiming the idea of sacredness — not purity from others, but reverence for life, truth, and the planet.
When we treat these values as inherently conservative, we leave them undefended. And that vacuum is where demagogues thrive.
Take the Quiz
If you’d like to see what moral “dialect” you speak—and how your instincts compare with the major American moral matrices—you can take the “What Values Guide Your Moral Compass?” quiz. I created this exercise as a short reflection that helps you understand not just what you believe, but why it feels right to you.
Haight surveyed thousands of Americans; once you take the quiz, come back and see where you land compared to others—and where you have room to learn.
Book Note
If you want to dig into the psychology and philosophy behind all this, Haidt’s The Righteous Mind is worth the effort — though you might find yourself skimming a few sections. The ideas are solid; the prose could’ve been lighter.
But for those struggling to understand the way forward, it's full of detail and explanation that you will find illuminating.
If you've made it this far, I hope that means you're enjoying my work.☺️ If so, consider supporting Byrne Alive to keep the flame aglow. Here's how:
Buy Me a Coffee is a virtual tip jar for writers, makers, and dreamers—fuel for people who run on stories, caffeine, and stubborn hope (like me!)
Visit the Smuggled Sparks shop and grab some joyfully rebellious merch. Your support helps me keep writing, creating, and building sparks that light the way for others.
If there's anything you'd like to see from me in terms of content, merchandise, etc. drop me a note.
Keep reading! Keep pressing the like button! Keep sharing what you enjoy! And thank you, thank you, thank you for your support in all its forms. 🧡
Comments