A hopeful, helpful prescription for overcoming polarization.
A social psychologist offers counterintuitive advice for bridging partisan differences.
Gray, whose University of North Carolina lab studies morality and beliefs, wants us to ditch what he calls the “destruction narrative”—the notion that those who don’t agree with our views aren’t just wrong but want to annihilate our way of life. He traces this outlook to early humankind, when our ancestors were more apt to be preyed upon by other animals. “Hardwired” to stave off mortal threats, we “intuitively” worry that those who don’t share our moral values might be harmful. This anxiety, of course, is deepened by social media, where misinformation and opportunism fuel ceaseless moral outrage. It’s a thoughtful argument, though Gray offers little evidence that “feelings of danger” are intensified because people doomscroll when they’re “on the toilet or in bed,” essentially defenseless. Relying on his own lab studies, he does a solid job of demonstrating that people who want to find areas of potential agreement with political adversaries shouldn’t rely solely on objective truths. Often, he argues, facts should temporarily go on the back burner. In an era when “everyone has their own statistics,” facts alone are unlikely to change the “moral convictions” that underlie a person’s views on climate change or sectarian violence. “Facts are essential to every aspect of life,” he hastens to note, but his research indicates that “harm-based stories” are more effective at lowering the temperature. People who cite “personal experiences of harm” when discussing issues like abortion or gun violence are seen as “more human and more rational” than those who rely exclusively on trustworthy data. Is Gray’s guidance a revealing indictment of American political life’s superficiality? Perhaps, but it’s clear that facts alone aren’t getting the job done.
A hopeful, helpful prescription for overcoming polarization.Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9780593317433
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Pantheon
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.
A compendium of charts, time lines, lists and illustrations to accompany study of the Bible.
This visually appealing resource provides a wide array of illustrative and textually concise references, beginning with three sets of charts covering the Bible as a whole, the Old Testament and the New Testament. These charts cover such topics as biblical weights and measures, feasts and holidays and the 12 disciples. Most of the charts use a variety of illustrative techniques to convey lessons and provide visual interest. A worthwhile example is “How We Got the Bible,” which provides a time line of translation history, comparisons of canons among faiths and portraits of important figures in biblical translation, such as Jerome and John Wycliffe. The book then presents a section of maps, followed by diagrams to conceptualize such structures as Noah’s Ark and Solomon’s Temple. Finally, a section on Christianity, cults and other religions describes key aspects of history and doctrine for certain Christian sects and other faith traditions. Overall, the authors take a traditionalist, conservative approach. For instance, they list Moses as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) without making mention of claims to the contrary. When comparing various Christian sects and world religions, the emphasis is on doctrine and orthodox theology. Some chapters, however, may not completely align with the needs of Catholic and Orthodox churches. But the authors’ leanings are muted enough and do not detract from the work’s usefulness. As a resource, it’s well organized, inviting and visually stimulating. Even the most seasoned reader will learn something while browsing.
Worthwhile reference stuffed with facts and illustrations.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2005
ISBN: 978-1-5963-6022-8
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 23, 2010
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.
Words that made a nation.
Isaacson is known for expansive biographies of great thinkers (and Elon Musk), but here he pens a succinct, stimulating commentary on the Founding Fathers’ ode to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” His close reading of the Declaration of Independence’s second sentence, published to mark the 250th anniversary of the document’s adoption, doesn’t downplay its “moral contradiction.” Thomas Jefferson enslaved hundreds of people yet called slavery “a cruel war against human nature” in his first draft of the Declaration. All but 15 of the document’s 56 signers owned enslaved people. While the sentence in question asserted “all men are created equal” and possess “unalienable rights,” the Founders “consciously and intentionally” excluded women, Native Americans, and enslaved people. And yet the sentence is powerful, Isaacson writes, because it names a young nation’s “aspirations.” He mounts a solid defense of what ought to be shared goals, among them economic fairness, “moral compassion,” and a willingness to compromise. “Democracy depends on this,” he writes. Isaacson is excellent when explaining how Enlightenment intellectuals abroad influenced the founders. Benjamin Franklin, one of the Declaration’s “five-person drafting committee,” stayed in David Hume’s home for a month in the early 1770s, “discussing ideas of natural rights” with the Scottish philosopher. Also strong is Isaacson’s discussion of the “edits and tweaks” made to Jefferson’s draft. As recommended by Franklin and others, the changes were substantial, leaving Jefferson “distraught.” Franklin, who emerges as the book’s hero, helped establish municipal services, founded a library, and encouraged religious diversity—the kind of civic-mindedness that we could use more of today, Isaacson reminds us.
A short, smart analysis of perhaps the most famous passage in American history reveals its potency and unfulfilled promise.Pub Date: Nov. 18, 2025
ISBN: 9781982181314
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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