Berkley Center

Numerous scholars have sought to explain the present era of social discord by specifying the biological bases of political and religious disagreement. Yet a “replication crisis” has recently thrown into doubt the veracity of much work in social psychology and social neuroscience. Humanists and social scientists therefore face several challenges when attempting to engage with this interesting-yet-imperfect work.

At this Religion, Culture, and Politics Workshop Neil Arner, assistant professor in the University of Notre Dame's Department of Theology, modeled a humanistic response to these interdisciplinary difficulties by offering a critical and constructive evaluation of Jonathan Haidt’s influential book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion (2012).