Kohlberg and Haidt

Explored in this blog post reviewing Haidt's The Righteous Mind. Haidt criticizes Kohlberg coming form the tradition of rational individualism, which is out of step because it is WEIRD: Western, educated, industrial, rich, democratic. Most of the world isn't like that so Haidt sees it as an incorrect bias. Therefore such cultural bias, including reason, cannot change those evolutionary cultural traits that run on automatic. Reason just makes shit up to justify its automatic responses.

Yet Haidt does admit that sometimes reason can help people change a la Kohlberg's moral hierarchy. This happens when you put people together with some common bonds, then those who use reason in the group can have some influence. Thus some sort of objective truth can be determined, as in the scientific method. Haidt's own social psychology and critical thinking is doing exactly that.

Unfortunately he is so devoted to his own prejudice that he can't see that society has evolved since the time of these automatic, survival programs we inherited. Granted we do run on them most of the time unless we are inculcated in the right group of shared values where those with advanced societal development can indeed lead the way. Kohlberg's moral stages are just land markers on the process of individuals and societies growing up. And it's time we as a society wake the f___k up before fascism takes over.