#204 with Jonathon Haight

Jonathan is a thinker I highly admire: I consider his book The Righteous Mind to be a life-changing read. So I was excited to see this episode. And I wasn’t disappointed, even though no new ground was broken or surprising ideas revealed. Because let's face it: in May of 2020, it's just nice just to occasionally hear two adults talking.

But lest you think I’m referring supporters of the orange baby-monster in the White House (actually, I was) I should note that Jon warned against the polarization not only of ideology but also of personality, which he thinks is more dangerous. So, okay, let me walk that back. Supporters of the orange baby-monster may not all be infantile in their cognitive ability.

In the past, Jon says people just fought over ideologies. But now we hate each other's lifestyles too: coastal elites hate the flyover deplorables, MAGA-cap wearers hate urban degenerates, etc.

True to his form, Jon points out more stirring psychological pitfalls. For instance, if you say “Trump is a corrupt liar,” that may be obvious to the people on your side, and incomprehensible that anyone would debate the point. But, amusingly, Jon says that all the other side has to do to disprove you is find something--one thing--he said that wasn’t a corrupt lie, and they'll think they've refuted you. Which I happen to know is true, at least with my own mother.

If you think this glorifies fuzzyheaded and obfuscating thinking, Jon cautions, remember that the alternative is to believe, as many intelligent people do, that the other side are all evil monsters who want to destroy humanity. That's obviously just stupid, so an explanation like Jon's has to have some merit.

On a non-Trump note, Jon also corrected his earlier claim that “screen time is bad for kids.” He amended it to “middle school girls should not be on Instagram.” In other words, he thinks it’s just fine for middle school or other boys to, say, play interactive video games a few hours a day. (Or even ten hours a day, according to my own middle-schooler.)

Jon's final words: follow the Buddhists and the great way: lose your judgmental partisanship and stop thinking that the other side is stupid and evil.

(But you still shouldn't vote for Trump!)