The Reason We’re Becoming More Extreme

In this episode of Reality Check on CNN, host John Avlon speaks with Jon Haidt about the psychology of authoritarianism in politics. They discuss why both the political left and right are becoming more extreme, making society a 24/7 culture war.

Jonathan Haidt is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. Haidt’s research examines the intuitive foundations of morality, and how morality varies across cultures––including the cultures of progressive, conservatives, and libertarians. His goal is to help people understand each other, live, and work near each other, and even learn from each other despite their moral differences. Haidt has co-founded a variety of organizations and collaborations that apply moral and social psychology toward that end, including HeterodoxAcademy.org, OpenMindPlatform.org, and EthicalSystems.org.