#141 - The Elephant & The Rider

Human beings are rational, right? We can control our emotions and reason our way through morality. At least that's what many of us think and feel. The truth is much more complicated. In fact, in many ways, our rationality is not ultimately in charge, especially when it comes to morality. Moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt developed an analogy to explain how our moral psychology actually works - the elephant and the rider. The elephant is your intuition - what you are inclined to think - and the rider is your rationality. In such an arrangement, who is in charge: the elephant or the rider? Is the rider simply a slave to the elephant's wishes or can it tighten the reins and direct the elephant anywhere? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices