But first, as Mr. Parrot and I enthusiastically concur, come the good bits. The first part is entitled “Intuitions come first, strategic reasoning second”. The survey of the field to date is comprehensive and comprehensible. On second reading, one may get a hint of where he intends to lead you, but it is as yet just a twinkle in Haidt’s eye. Amongst the many allegories he illustrates is the “Elephant and Rider” model, and this is the most interesting. The Elephant is your gut instinct, the automatic process, the animal side. The Rider is the intellect, the controlling process, the “human” side. One might think that the Rider gets to call the shots. But no – the rider evolved to serve the Elephant, and does so in various non-obvious ways.

One aspect of my professional life is the mystery as to why my ingrate clients seem incapable of appreciating the blindingly obvious or listening to what they are paying good money to hear me say. ‘Rationality’ gets short shrift – it’s the Elephant that calls the shots, and that Elephant lumbers along according to intuition and preconceived notions gained through a lifetime of experience in whatever industry I’m consulting for. The Rider – serving the Elephant – is called on simply to justify the actions the Elephant it taking. If you ask someone to believe something that to them is counter-intuitive, the Rider seizes upon some justification for the course the Elephant is on – something common to both explanations of a phenomena, say – and gives the Elephant an alibi. The Rider validates the Elephants direction, should anyone ask, and that’s enough for the pair to trundle happily on their merry way. Never have I realized how valuable and somewhat unique my scientific training has been.

Unfortunately, the latter parts of the book slip into what one must conclude was the original purpose – to elevate the author from mere academia to the paid ranks of political consultant. The contortions are gruesome. The author, accepting without question the liberal/conservative divide, rants about the inability of the Democratic party to appeal to those aspects of human nature which the Republicans touch effortlessly (hire me and I’ll fix that). The illustrations pit a monolithic left (we’re all in it together, and I’ll not be partisan) against a divided Right. The book is lavishly festooned with references to the author’s joint academic publications, where more often than not he has contrived to be first – publications forever to be referred to as ” Haidt et al.” Every page cries “Hire Me!”

One doesn’t need an injection of psychobabble to answer the question which Haidt poses in this extended CV. Why DO the lower orders not vote Democratic, for it is obviously in their best interests to do so? Quite simply, it is because these despised “lower orders” can recognize a charlatan when they see one. For all the promises and crocodile tears, they know that somehow the promised benefits end up with their sponsors and lobbyists. Fix that, and perhaps Haidt might have a chance of doing something profound.

One might think I have a dog in this fight, and quite literally I do. John Kerry – the candidate for president that Haidt worked for, unpaid – once kicked my friends’ dog off a sidewalk whilst walking between photo-ops. Unfortunately, there was no camera present to record what would have been a career ending move. Our Elephants side with the dog, and – whether we’re left or right – the Rider’s preference is irrelevant.

But is it heart or head? That is exactly his point, that our heart comes up with the decision and then our attempts to rationalise it.

I left my copy of the book with my host in Las Vegas who was about two-thirds the way through it when we left, but was questioning Haidt’s ideas because the author is openly a Democrat. However, it is a book that challenges your thinking whether you’re from the right or left.

@ Bob – ROFL! I’ll go back immediately. Your month’s wages would probably pay for the trip!