--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you think that moral reasoning is…" description: "\"If you think that moral reasoning is something we do to figure out the truth, you’ll be constantly frustrated by how foolish, biased, and illogical peo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jonathan-haidt-1823_biased_if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-som_2799324.jpg" --- # If you think that moral reasoning is something we do to… ![“If you think that moral reasoning is something we do to figure out the truth, you’ll be constantly frustrated by how foolish, biased, and illogical people become when they disagree with you.” quote by Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jonathan-haidt-1823_biased_if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-som_2799324.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jonathan-haidt-1823_biased_if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-som_2799324.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jonathan-haidt-1823_biased_if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-som_2799324.jpg) > “If you think that moral reasoning is something we do to figure out the truth, you’ll be constantly frustrated by how foolish, biased, and illogical people become when they disagree with you.” [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 reasoning often fails to uncover objective truth because personal biases and emotions dominate when people disagree. **In simple terms:** Moral reasoning is clouded by bias. Key Takeaway Accept that reasoning can be biased and seek humility. Themes morality reasoning bias psychology communication Mood thoughtful critical analytical Type philosophical psychological educational When to use this quote - debates - ethical discussions - political discourse - education on critical thinking Key Concepts cognitive bias social identity truth seeking Questions to Reflect On - How can we mitigate bias in moral discussions? - What role does empathy play in reasoning? A Different Perspective Reasoning alone cannot guarantee truth without acknowledging bias. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Frustrated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frustrated/) [Moral](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral/) [Moral reasoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moral-reasoning/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reasoning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reasoning/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [“Schwitzgebel even scrounged up the missing-book lists from dozens of libraries and found that academic books on ethics, which are presumably borrowed mostly by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/schwitzgebel-even-scrounged-up-the-missing-book-lists-from-dozens-of-2/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [My early research - I'm a social psychologist, and my early research was on how people make moral judgments. When I entered the field…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/my-early-research-i-m-a-social-psychologist-and-my-early-research-was/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“Schwitzgebel even scrounged up the missing-book lists from dozens of libraries and found that academic books on ethics, which are presumably borrowed mostly by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/schwitzgebel-even-scrounged-up-the-missing-book-lists-from-dozens-of/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [I think that moral philosophy is useful for framing questions, but terrible at answering them. I think moral psychology is booming right now, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-think-that-moral-philosophy-is-useful-for-framing-questions-but/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [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/) > [Our moral reasoning is plagued by two illusions. The first illusion can be called the wag-the-dog illusion: We believe that our own moral judgment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/our-moral-reasoning-is-plagued-by-two-illusions-the-first-illusion/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [To be a fully functioning moral agent, one cannot passively accept moral principles handed down by fiat. Moral principles require moral reasoning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/to-be-a-fully-functioning-moral-agent-one-cannot-passively-accept/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [Perhaps the most remarkable thing I found about the Bible was how flexible it is. Here we have a book written 3,000 years ago,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-plotz/perhaps-the-most-remarkable-thing-i-found-about-the-bible-was-how/) [David Plotz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-plotz/) > [God doesn't help. I think that's a knockdown argument. I think that it really shows that whatever moral knowledge we have and whatever moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-goldstein/god-doesn-t-help-i-think-that-s-a-knockdown-argument-i-think-that-it/) [Rebecca Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-goldstein/) > [That torture is wrong can never be the conclusion to any line of reasoning because it has to be a fundamental premise. Witnessing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-fraser/that-torture-is-wrong-can-never-be-the-conclusion-to-any-line-of/) Giles Fraser > [“The why of the mind's existence and the how of its profound capacity to reason - especially its penchant for moral reasoning - will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-why-of-the-mind-s-existence-and-the-how-of-its-profound-capacity/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > ["Teachers"... treat students neither coercively nor instrumentally but as joint seekers of truth and of mutual actualization. They help students define moral values not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-macgregor-burns/teachers-treat-students-neither-coercively-nor-instrumentally-but-as/) [James MacGregor Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-macgregor-burns/) > [I do listen to myself sometimes and think, 'Is my moral compass so easily swayed by the characters I play, or is it me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-serkis/i-do-listen-to-myself-sometimes-and-think-is-my-moral-compass-so/) [Andy Serkis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-serkis/) > [A bad author can take the most moral issue and make you want to just never, ever think about that moral issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/a-bad-author-can-take-the-most-moral-issue-and-make-you-want-to-just/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [I really do think of it in moral terms. I think that we can't kid ourselves that the storytelling impulse is innocent and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-coady/i-really-do-think-of-it-in-moral-terms-i-think-that-we-can-t-kid/) [Lynn Coady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-coady/) ## 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. They have strong gut feelings about what is right and wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/you-can-see-the-rider-serving-the-elephant-when-people-are-morally/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [Congress is full of good, decent, smart people who have devoted their lives to public service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/congress-is-full-of-good-decent-smart-people-who-have-devoted-their/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [Once you understand the power of stimulus control, you can use it to your advantage by changing the stimuli in your environment and avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/once-you-understand-the-power-of-stimulus-control-you-can-use-it-to/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“The ethic of autonomy is based on the idea that people are, first and foremost, autonomous individuals with wants, needs, and preferences. 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 Biased quotes > [Critics are biased, and so are readers. (Indeed, a critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste.) But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-balliett/critics-are-biased-and-so-are-readers-indeed-a-critic-is-a-bundle-of/) Whitney Balliett > [I'm a liberal, but I'm not biased. Seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cronkite/i-m-a-liberal-but-i-m-not-biased-seriously/) [Walter Cronkite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cronkite/) > [Biochemists and biologists who adhere blindly to the Darwinism theory search for results that will be in agreement with their theories and consequently orient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-paul-grasse/biochemists-and-biologists-who-adhere-blindly-to-the-darwinism-theory/) [Pierre-Paul Grasse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-paul-grasse/) > [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Digital media are biased toward replication and storage. Our digital photos practically upload and post themselves on Facebook, and our most deleted e-mails tend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-rushkoff/digital-media-are-biased-toward-replication-and-storage-our-digital/) [Douglas Rushkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-rushkoff/) > [“I pick up a copy of Newsweek on the plane and immediately notice how biased, slanted, and opinionated all the U.S. newsmagazine articles are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-byrne/i-pick-up-a-copy-of-newsweek-on-the-plane-and-immediately-notice-how/) [David Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-byrne/) > [The schedules are crammed with shows urging us to travel further, drive faster, build bigger, buy more, yet none of them are deemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-monbiot/the-schedules-are-crammed-with-shows-urging-us-to-travel-further/) [George Monbiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-monbiot/) > [The ideal reader of my novels is a lapsed Catholic and failed musician, short-sighted, colour-blind, auditorily biased, who has read the books that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-burgess/the-ideal-reader-of-my-novels-is-a-lapsed-catholic-and-failed/) [Anthony Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-burgess/) > [Yes, the mainstream media is painfully biased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jedediah-bila/yes-the-mainstream-media-is-painfully-biased/) [Jedediah Bila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jedediah-bila/) > [I think I'm the best at everything that I do. I may be biased because it's me. But if you ask me that, that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cam-ron/i-think-i-m-the-best-at-everything-that-i-do-i-may-be-biased-because/) [Cam'ron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cam-ron/) > [I pledge allegiance to the fair and balanced truth. Not the biased truth, Not the liest truth, But the highest truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-pledge-allegiance-to-the-fair-and-balanced-truth-not-the-biased/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [It is quite exhilarating to speak about a God who has an incredible bias, a notorious bias in favor of the downtrodden. You look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-tutu/it-is-quite-exhilarating-to-speak-about-a-god-who-has-an-incredible/) [Desmond Tutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-tutu/) > [Well, being a black man in America and growing up in this society, my view of the justice system is pretty much set. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-morgan/well-being-a-black-man-in-america-and-growing-up-in-this-society-my/) [Rob Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-morgan/) > [There's no question that I am biased toward the Hebrew calendar over the Gregorian one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bari-weiss/there-s-no-question-that-i-am-biased-toward-the-hebrew-calendar-over/) [Bari Weiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bari-weiss/) > [The present educational establishment, to cite just one group, has been obscuring the past so that our children have no way of comparing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-demar/the-present-educational-establishment-to-cite-just-one-group-has-been/) [Gary DeMar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-demar/) Browse all 277 Biased quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you think that moral reasoning is something we do to figure out the truth, you’ll be constantly frustrated by how foolish, biased, and illogical people become when they disagree with you.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jonathan Haidt" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-something-we-do-to-figure-out/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biased" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-something-we-do-to-figure-out/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jonathan-haidt-1823_biased_if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-som_2799324.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jonathan-haidt-1823_biased_if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-som_2799324.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a24/jonathan-haidt-1823_biased_if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-som_2799324.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you think that moral reasoning is something we do to figure out the truth, you’ll be constantly…” — Jonathan Haidt", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jonathan Haidt", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you think that moral reasoning...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-something-we-do-to-figure-out/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-think-that-moral-reasoning-is-something-we-do-to-figure-out/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```