--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that moral philosophy is useful…" description: "\"I think that moral philosophy is useful for framing questions, but terrible at answering them. I think moral psychology is booming right now, and we're..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/jonathan-haidt-1823_framing_i-think-that-moral-philosophy-is-useful_3180126.jpg" --- # I think that moral philosophy is useful for framing… ![“I think that moral philosophy is useful for framing questions, but terrible at answering them. I think moral psychology is booming right now, and we're making a lot of progress on understanding how we actually work, what our moral nature is.” quote by Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/jonathan-haidt-1823_framing_i-think-that-moral-philosophy-is-useful_3180126.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/jonathan-haidt-1823_framing_i-think-that-moral-philosophy-is-useful_3180126.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b8/jonathan-haidt-1823_framing_i-think-that-moral-philosophy-is-useful_3180126.jpg) > “I think that moral philosophy is useful for framing questions, but terrible at answering them. I think moral psychology is booming right now, and we're making a lot of progress on understanding how we actually work, what our moral nature is.” [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Moral philosophy frames dilemmas but often lacks concrete answers, while moral psychology offers empirical insights into human behavior. **In simple terms:** Philosophy asks questions; psychology studies answers. Key Takeaway Balance theory with empirical research. Themes ethics philosophy psychology human behavior knowledge Mood thoughtful analytical inquisitive Type philosophical scientific practical When to use this quote - ethical decision making - policy design - education - personal values - research debates Key Concepts normative theory cognitive science behavioral economics Questions to Reflect On - What ethical questions need empirical data? - How can theory guide action without definitive answers? A Different Perspective Philosophical answers can be too abstract for practical use. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Framing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/framing/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-philosophy/) [Morality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morality/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Understanding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understanding/) ## Related quotes > [We are now returning to the 18th century empirical approach with the new interest in the evolutionary basis of ethics, with 'experimental' moral philosophy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/we-are-now-returning-to-the-18th-century-empirical-approach-with-the/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [I think moral philosophy is speculation on how we ought to live together done by people who have very little clue how people work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-think-moral-philosophy-is-speculation-on-how-we-ought-to-live/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [Don't Shoot is a work of moral philosophy that reads like a crime novel - Immanuel Kant meets Joseph Wambaugh. It's a fascinating, inspiring,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-seabrook/don-t-shoot-is-a-work-of-moral-philosophy-that-reads-like-a-crime/) [John Seabrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-seabrook/) > [“first principle of moral psychology: Intuitions come first, strategic reasoning second.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/first-principle-of-moral-psychology-intuitions-come-first-strategic/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [The use of philosophy is to sadden. A philosophy which saddens no one, that annoys no one, is not a philosophy. It is useful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/the-use-of-philosophy-is-to-sadden-a-philosophy-which-saddens-no-one/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [I don't believe that we evolved moral psychology; it just doesn't seem plausible to me as a biological phenomenon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/i-don-t-believe-that-we-evolved-moral-psychology-it-just-doesn-t-seem/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“Philosophy does not serve the State or the Church, who have other concerns. It serves no established power. The use of philosophy is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/philosophy-does-not-serve-the-state-or-the-church-who-have-other/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [History, we can confidently assert, is useful in the sense that art and music, poetry and flowers, religion and philosophy are useful. 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Work, work, work: No moral. No plot. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-keep-waiting-for-the-moral-of-your-life-to-become-obvious-but-it/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Of course, the age-old tradition that a star must appear even if he or she is practically dying is an excellent one, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/of-course-the-age-old-tradition-that-a-star-must-appear-even-if-he-or/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [Characters in Hollywood movies encounter a lot of car chases. Characters in novels rarely wash their hands or do their laundry. And in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomy-arpaly/characters-in-hollywood-movies-encounter-a-lot-of-car-chases/) [Nomy Arpaly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomy-arpaly/) ## More by Jonathan Haidt > [Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/love-and-work-are-to-people-what-water-and-sunshine-are-to-plants/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [You can see the rider serving the elephant when people are morally dumbfounded. 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People should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/the-ethic-of-autonomy-is-based-on-the-idea-that-people-are-first-and/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [I got interested in the American culture war back in 2004, and it's one of the only growth stocks I've ever invested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-got-interested-in-the-american-culture-war-back-in-2004-and-it-s/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [I think of myself as a social scientist. In order to get hired and to get promoted, we're forced to declare a disciplinary and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-think-of-myself-as-a-social-scientist-in-order-to-get-hired-and-to/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“We should not expect individuals to produce good, open-minded, truth-seeking reasoning, particularly when self-interest or reputational concerns are in play. But if you put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/we-should-not-expect-individuals-to-produce-good-open-minded-truth/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [The most powerful force ever known on this planet is human cooperation - a force for construction and destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/the-most-powerful-force-ever-known-on-this-planet-is-human/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [It only takes twenty generations of selective breeding to create large differences or appearance and behavior in other mammals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/it-only-takes-twenty-generations-of-selective-breeding-to-create/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [If you think half of America votes badly because they are stupid or religious, you are trapped in a matrix ... Take the red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-think-half-of-america-votes-badly-because-they-are-stupid-or/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“Our minds have the potential to become righteous about many different concerns, and only a few of these concerns are activated during childhood. Other”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/our-minds-have-the-potential-to-become-righteous-about-many-different/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [People who devote their lives to studying something often come to believe that the object of their fascination is the key to understanding everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/people-who-devote-their-lives-to-studying-something-often-come-to/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“Nonetheless, if you are trying to change an organization or a society and you do not consider the effects of your changes on moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/nonetheless-if-you-are-trying-to-change-an-organization-or-a-society/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [If you have a personality predisposed to liberalism, you might gravitate more to the artsy crowd or the anti-establishment crowd. And then those peers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-have-a-personality-predisposed-to-liberalism-you-might/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) [Explore all 204 Jonathan Haidt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) ## More Framing quotes > [Other than they may or may not have discussed the relative merits of the Electoral College vs. the popular vote, what I am told…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-tumulty/other-than-they-may-or-may-not-have-discussed-the-relative-merits-of/) [Karen Tumulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-tumulty/) > [So we must realize this: the suicidal framing story that dominates our world today has no power except the power we give it by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-we-must-realize-this-the-suicidal-framing-story-that-dominates-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Comic-strip artists generally have very modest ambitions. Day to day, we labor to fit together all these little moving parts - a character or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-trudeau/comic-strip-artists-generally-have-very-modest-ambitions-day-to-day/) [Garry Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-trudeau/) > [Auditioning for television shows - to find a guy who has a lot of experience as a laborer is a bit of an anomaly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/auditioning-for-television-shows-to-find-a-guy-who-has-a-lot-of/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [I was thinking about framing, and how so much of what we think about our lives and our personal histories revolves around how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/i-was-thinking-about-framing-and-how-so-much-of-what-we-think-about/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [From childhood my mother had me examining Robert Mapplethorpe's style and Egon Schiele's framing - that's what modelling is about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milla-jovovich/from-childhood-my-mother-had-me-examining-robert-mapplethorpe-s-style/) [Milla Jovovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milla-jovovich/) > [The problem is no longer getting people to express themselves, but providing little gaps of solitude and silence in which they might eventually find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilles-deleuze/the-problem-is-no-longer-getting-people-to-express-themselves-but/) [Gilles Deleuze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilles-deleuze/) > [“See the system. When you find yourself stuck in an oversimplified polarized conflict, a useful first step is to try to become more aware…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-t-coleman/see-the-system-when-you-find-yourself-stuck-in-an-oversimplified/) Peter T. Coleman > [One doesn't stop seeing. One doesn't stop framing. It doesn't turn off and turn on. It's on all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-leibovitz/one-doesn-t-stop-seeing-one-doesn-t-stop-framing-it-doesn-t-turn-off/) [Annie Leibovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-leibovitz/) > [The framing of how we relate to each other within and across social media platforms will continue to become more sophisticated and nuanced in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mainwaring/the-framing-of-how-we-relate-to-each-other-within-and-across-social/) [Simon Mainwaring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mainwaring/) > [ I think it\[3D\] should be used as a new artistic form, not as a gimmick, not to impress you but the existence of an… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ang-lee/i-think-it-3d-should-be-used-as-a-new-artistic-form-not-as-a-gimmick/) [Ang Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ang-lee/) > [During the fifteen or twenty years in which I tried - it was not always easy with publishers, newspapers, etc. - to forbid photographs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-derrida/during-the-fifteen-or-twenty-years-in-which-i-tried-it-was-not-always/) [Jacques Derrida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-derrida/) > [We are more often than not asked, for instance, to regard Israel and Palestine as in a conflict of this kind, a framing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/we-are-more-often-than-not-asked-for-instance-to-regard-israel-and/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [As you see something that yo want to shot and it's bearing down on you, it's important to start framing long before the subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-maisel/as-you-see-something-that-yo-want-to-shot-and-it-s-bearing-down-on/) [Jay Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-maisel/) > [If men were angels, no government would be necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-madison/if-men-were-angels-no-government-would-be-necessary-if-angels-were-to/) [James Madison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-madison/) [Browse all 106 Framing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/framing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that moral philosophy is useful for framing questions, but terrible at answering them. 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