# Professor Jonathan Haidt's book, "The Righteous Mind," is referenced

1 Faculty News September 29, 2016 ![The Washington Post logo](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/con_031074.jpg?itok=f6OME_Rm)>

Excerpt from [The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/can-republicans-be-rational/2016/09/29/21e64ae2-867a-11e6-92c2-14b64f3d453f_story.html) -- "These dynamics have reminded me of [Jonathan Haidt](http://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/jonathan-haidt)’s seminal book, 'The Righteous Mind.' Haidt, a social psychologist, used exhaustive evidence to explain that our political preferences are not the product of careful analytic reasoning. Instead, they spring from a combination of moral intuition (instinct) and a tribal affiliation with people who we believe share these instincts. We use reason, facts and analysis to affirm our gut decisions."

[Read more](https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/can-republicans-be-rational/2016/09/29/21e64ae2-867a-11e6-92c2-14b64f3d453f_story.html?utm_term=.af30bb6a87fb)