The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Religion and Politics by Jonathan Haidt

Merits: Jonathan Haidt has a Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Pennsylvania and then went on to teach at the University of Virginia. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Material: This book explores the social psychology of the political spectrum. It argues how morality isn’t necessarily rooted in reason, but in raw gut instincts. Are our rational selves just riders strapped to the back of an elephant known as subjective thinking? Haidt provides some compelling evidence based on twenty-five years of research.

Grade: Oppenheimer. Anyone familiar with American politics will have their preconceptions challenged by this one…and yes, your head will explode. Regardless, it’s a chance to learn why people on all ends of the spectrum, be it political or religious, can have such a stark ideological divide between them.