Subtitled “Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom”
With second subtitle “Why the Meaningful Life is Closer than You Think”
(Basic Books, 2006, xiii + 297pp, including 54pp acknowledgements, notes, references, and index. Hardcover with no dust jacket.)
(Post 1, Post 2, post 3, post 4)
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Now, a final review and some thumbnail summaries. What was this book about again? Happiness? Ancient wisdom? The meaning of life? All of the above? The themes and structure of the book are not crisp enough for me to boil them down without reading through my notes one more time… That’s what I’m doing today, to distill the book down as much as I can.
There are three aspects of each discussion. The take according to ancient wisdom; the take according to modern understanding; and my own take on how Haidt thinks the modern understanding contributions to happiness and/or meaning, especially if they involve things that are not objectively true.
Ch1: Divided Self
Ancient wisdom: the mind is divided, e.g. rider and elephant, or rational vs emotional.
Modern understanding: The mind is divided in at least four ways — mind vs body, left vs right, new vs old, controlled vs automatic — and understanding these allows us to be aware of self-control, mental intrusions, and why arguments are difficult to win.
Ch2: Changing Your Mind
Ancient wisdom: We control how we think about the world by behaving ‘philosophically,’ by rising above it.
Modern understanding: Retrain the elephant via meditation, cognitive therapy, or Prozac.
Ch3: Reciprocity
Ancient wisdom: We live by love or reciprocity.
Modern understanding: We understand ultrasociality as an outcome of evolution; similarly tit for tat strategies for dealing with people have led to methods for controlling cheaters; we use gossip to keep track of relationships and reputations; we can be aware of how these methods can be used against us.
Ch4: Faults
Ancient wisdom: We focus on the flaws of others.
Modern understanding: We realize that we all think the same way; think that we’re right, others are biased or even evil; but this is a myth. Realize it’s a game and stop taking it so seriously; don’t judge; be more empathetic.
Ch5: Happiness
Ancient wisdom: Happiness comes from within; abandon all attachments.
Modern understanding: It also comes from outside yourself. Happiness is a combination of one’s biological set point, the conditions we live in (some of which we can control), and connections from marriage, religion, or even money. We’re happier making progress toward goals than actually achieving them. Learn to adapt. Find a flow; don’t obsess over multiple options.
Ch6: Love
Ancient wisdom: Old ideas of behaviorism (e.g. be affectionate to your child only when they behave) have been discredited, as have the ideas of Freud and others.
Modern understanding: People need attachments, from children to romantic relationships. At the same time, some constraints in your life, via attachments can make you happier. (But this leads to the duality of conservative and liberal approaches to life.)
Ch7: Adversity
Ancient wisdom: People need adversity to fully develop.
Modern understanding: Perhaps we’ve overreacted, thinking that any kind of stress is bad. Adversity might help only at a certain time of life, for teens and young adults. Don’t see the world in terms of black and white; the wise appreciate shades of gray, and middle courses of action that are better for everyone in the long run. But don’t be a pessimist; life isn’t about karma. Try to make sense of things instead.
Ch8: Virtue
Ancient wisdom: Being virtuous leads to happiness.
Modern understanding: Enlightenment ideas of reason and utilitarianism are too narrow because they don’t appease the emotions. Positive psychology is a response to ideas of traditional values. Conservatives see constraints on society as being good, but our modern society is more diverse, so those constraints are no longer practical.
My take: Here’s a cleavage between being ‘happy’ and understanding what to do when you really do have problems to solve.
Ch9: Divinity
Ancient wisdom: In addition to closeness and hierarchy humans perceive an axis of ‘divinity.’
Modern understanding: We understand that some of those feelings, e.g. purity vs disgust, are explained by natural selection. Awe and transcendence are available without any literal divinity. Debates about such feelings fuel the culture wars, with poles of community vs autonomy. Yet maybe science should accept religiosity as normal and healthy.
My take: Religiosity may be ‘healthy’ since human nature is about survival, and not apprehension of the real world. True understanding and appreciation of the real world cannot involve religiosity (except concerning human nature itself).
Ch10: The Meaning of Life
Ancient wisdom: The question implies that life has some “for” purpose; or contrarily, that there isn’t any “for” reason, we just are.
Modern understanding: The only question the author can answer is about purpose *within* life. Thus the happiness formula, which entails being engaged with the world. Group selection is plausible after all, given the evolution of morality: a mix of altruism and selfishness [[ the progressive/conservative opposites ]]. So the meaning of life is in understanding what kind of creatures we are, getting conditions right, and waiting. Find a coherence among your personality, your relationships, and your work. If you do, a sense of purpose and meaning will emerge.
My take: But understanding what kind of creatures we are includes understanding things in ways that religiosity would reject. Haidt’s recommendations are not always consistent with each other. Do you accept religiosity to be happy? You must reject it to understand what kind of creatures we are.
Conclusion: On Balance
Life is about conflict and balance. There is no evil; nearly all people are morally motivated, and no one person or culture has all the answers. The place to look for wisdom is with your opponents: they understand some things better than you do.
My take: The themes evoked in the final pages anticipate Haidt’s next book, THE RIGHTEOUS MIND, in how various moral sentiments are stronger in some people than others. The more conservative of those sentiments, e.g. sanctity/degradation and authority/subversion, reflect the priorities of “ancient wisdom,” i.e. what I call base human nature. Do we look for wisdom there? Perhaps only to understand our fellow human beings. My idea of happiness and the meaning of life is to be true to reality: to understand the world outside the blinders of human existence. Not to deny human nature, but to understand it in a larger context, and understand what else is out there.
