Video Review – The Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives by Jonathan Haidt
In the assigned video, psychologist Jonathan Haidt addresses the moral points that lead to the foundation of our political beliefs and choices. Haidt pinpoints five key moral points that conservatives and liberals (left, right, or center) use most. Accordingly, these moral points include harm/care, fairness/reciprocity, in-group/loyalty, authority/respect, and purity/sanctity. I believe this video was included in this course because it provides solutions for bridging the divide caused by political polarization. One of the fundamentals of the American government is democracy. However, this is being threatened by political polarization. There is no denying that polarization in America has been on the rise in the last decade or so. Reports have been published showing how this could negatively affect the country’s democracy. Examples of these effects include the erosion of institutional and behavioral standards, the escalation of the “us versus them” mindset in the sociopolitical scene, and an increase in highly partisan media (McCoy & Press, 2022).
Further, Haidt explains how conservatives tend to be less tolerant of change and uncertainty, which is in direct contrast with the liberals. With a generation more tolerant than ever before and more changes happening every day, there is bound to be a divide because of these mindsets. As a liberal, I always wondered how conservatives could be so blind, but now I know better. I have to learn to be less righteous and instead be willing to listen and understand their perspectives. Moreover, Haidt explains how we are wired to seek and affirm tribal alignments, which makes us more vulnerable to being politically polarized. Luckily for us, I believe that my generation is one of the most open-minded generations so far. If that is what it will take us for both sides, the conservative and liberal, to listen and understand each other, then we might have a chance at correcting the situation.
References
McCoy, J., & Press, B. (2022). What Happens When Democracies Become Perniciously Polarized?
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Question 
The Moral Roots of Liberals and Conservatives by Jonathan Haidt
Watch this video and post a minimum 100-word response discussing your thoughts and feelings. These videos introduce ideas that may or may not coincide with the week’s learning objective or theme.
- Why do you think this video was chosen to be included in this course?
- For this assignment, you do not need to provide citations or quotes.
- You may write your response in a first-person voice.
- You are strongly encouraged to use the Grammarly app before posting your assignment.
Watch the following video:
- The moral roots of liberals and conservatives – Jonathan Haidt, TED-Ed, 2012