Jonathan Haidt analyzes moral intuition and polarization

In his work ‘The Righteous Mind’, Jonathan Haidt explores the mechanics of political and social polarization. He utilizes the metaphor of the ‘rider and the elephant’ to describe the human psyche: the rider represents the rational, deliberative mind, while the elephant represents intuitive moral judgments shaped by evolution and culture.

Haidt argues that contrary to Enlightenment traditions, the rational mind does not typically lead. Instead, intuition often precedes conscious justification. In this dynamic, the rider acts less as a driver and more as an advocate, constructing rational arguments to support conclusions already reached by intuition. This suggests that persuasion based solely on data and evidence is often insufficient in public discourse.