Conservatives Quote by Jonathan Haidt
““Conservatives believe that people are inherently imperfect and are prone to act badly when all constraints and accountability are removed (yes, I thought; see Glaucon, Tetlock, and Ariely in chapter 4). Our reasoning is flawed and prone to overconfidence, so it’s dangerous to construct theories based on pure reason, unconstrained by intuition and historical experience (yes; see Hume in chapter 2 and Baron-Cohen on systemizing in chapter 6). Institutions emerge gradually as social facts, which we then respect and even sacralize, but if we strip these institutions of authority and treat them as arbitrary contrivances that exist only for our benefit, we render them less effective. We then expose ourselves to increased anomie and social disorder (yes; see Durkheim in chapters 8 and 11). Based””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt, 2012
Humans are imperfect; institutions and intuition curb overconfidence and disorder.
In simple terms: People need constraints and history to avoid chaos.
Key Takeaway
Respect and balance authority with intuition.
Themes
politics
human nature
institutions
psychology
social order
Mood
cautious
critical
analytical
Type
philosophical
political
When to use this quote
- policy design
- education
- community building
- legal reform
Key Concepts
Moral psychology
social contract
anomie
Questions to Reflect On
- How can we integrate intuition into governance?
- What role should tradition play in modern institutions?
A Different Perspective
Pure reason alone ignores human flaws and can destabilize society.
