I understand your point re "if you read this essay in isolation" and I get that. Of course, I came into it with more context, so I interpreted some of his points through that lens. It's an incredibly long, dense piece as it is - maybe he could have done a better job framing/explaining to avoid misinterpret…
I understand your point re "if you read this essay in isolation" and I get that. Of course, I came into it with more context, so I interpreted some of his points through that lens. It's an incredibly long, dense piece as it is - maybe he could have done a better job framing/explaining to avoid misinterpretation by someone unfamiliar with his past work. I just felt your criticism was unnecessarily harsh and could have been a bit more balanced by saying "given what I know about his past works maybe this is what he is meaning to say, but he shouldn't make me guess" as opposed to just crapping on the whole thing.
Interesting you mention that. This article was my first read of Jonathan Haidt (in isolation) and while I thought it was well written and had interesting ideas and perspectives; it irked me as I interpreted the article as Chris Bray did. So it's good to know that he is worth reading and perhaps his ideas were not fully or well expressed in this particular article.
Sorry - I missed this comment (was traveling for a funeral last week). I think it would definitely be time well spent to read some of Haidt's work. He is a lifelong academic and so probably naturally "left leaning." But I also believe he is more of what I would call a "traditional liberal" as opposed to the "progressive liberals" that have taken over the academy in the last 25 to 30 years. I think The Righteous Mind is probably the best place to start and then The Coddling of the American Mind after that. In The Righteous Mind, he explores how liberals and conservatives assess/make decisions, and I think he ultimately concludes that conservatives take a broader view/include more factors in that process. There are also a lot of good talks that he has given on YouTube. Good luck!
Thanks! I had heard of those titles and will now give them a read. I think having both Traditional Liberal and True Blue Conservative perspectives/voices are essential for a democracy to function.
"True Blue" or "True Red" ;-) ? Yes, I agree. And Haidt (I feel like I'm promoting him but I'm really note - but he outta give me a commission!) is really big on viewpoint diversity and the need for a broader range of voices in the conversation. He talks about how lack of diversity in the faculty of colleges and universities is a terrible thing in the long run, for the culture and for democracy. He founded Heterodox Academy as an attempt to push back against the tide and encourage more viewpoint diversity. https://heterodoxacademy.org/our-mission/
What's your second response ;-)
I understand your point re "if you read this essay in isolation" and I get that. Of course, I came into it with more context, so I interpreted some of his points through that lens. It's an incredibly long, dense piece as it is - maybe he could have done a better job framing/explaining to avoid misinterpretation by someone unfamiliar with his past work. I just felt your criticism was unnecessarily harsh and could have been a bit more balanced by saying "given what I know about his past works maybe this is what he is meaning to say, but he shouldn't make me guess" as opposed to just crapping on the whole thing.
Interesting you mention that. This article was my first read of Jonathan Haidt (in isolation) and while I thought it was well written and had interesting ideas and perspectives; it irked me as I interpreted the article as Chris Bray did. So it's good to know that he is worth reading and perhaps his ideas were not fully or well expressed in this particular article.
Thanks!
Sorry - I missed this comment (was traveling for a funeral last week). I think it would definitely be time well spent to read some of Haidt's work. He is a lifelong academic and so probably naturally "left leaning." But I also believe he is more of what I would call a "traditional liberal" as opposed to the "progressive liberals" that have taken over the academy in the last 25 to 30 years. I think The Righteous Mind is probably the best place to start and then The Coddling of the American Mind after that. In The Righteous Mind, he explores how liberals and conservatives assess/make decisions, and I think he ultimately concludes that conservatives take a broader view/include more factors in that process. There are also a lot of good talks that he has given on YouTube. Good luck!
Thanks! I had heard of those titles and will now give them a read. I think having both Traditional Liberal and True Blue Conservative perspectives/voices are essential for a democracy to function.
"True Blue" or "True Red" ;-) ? Yes, I agree. And Haidt (I feel like I'm promoting him but I'm really note - but he outta give me a commission!) is really big on viewpoint diversity and the need for a broader range of voices in the conversation. He talks about how lack of diversity in the faculty of colleges and universities is a terrible thing in the long run, for the culture and for democracy. He founded Heterodox Academy as an attempt to push back against the tide and encourage more viewpoint diversity. https://heterodoxacademy.org/our-mission/
I completely agree!