National Expert on Partisan Divide Visits FSU, Village Square
Professor, author Jonathan Haidt offers insight into ailing civic discourse
(TALLAHASSEE, FL) – September 4, 2012 – In the home stretch of this presidential election year in an America polarized to the point of dysfunction, more of us are asking “what in the world is wrong with us?” NYU’s Stern School of Business professor and social psychologist Dr. Jonathan Haidt has answers and they’re not what you’re expecting. Strangely enough, “elephants” are involved…
Haidt will be speaking at two events in Tallahassee on Tuesday, September 11.
Dr. Haidt has become an authoritative voice on what’s behind America’s deepening, angry partisan divide and – importantly – what we can do to improve it. Turns out it has a lot more to do with the basics of human nature and our moral reasoning habits than we’d probably care to admit.
Haidt has appeared on Colbert Report, Fox News, Bill Moyers, Morning Joe and his work is regularly cited in major newspapers across America. Haidt’s new book “The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion” debuted at #6 on the New York Times bestseller list.
“Polarization, Demonization, & Paralysis in American Politics” is The Village Square’s first program in the 2012-13 Dinner at the Square season “E Pluribus Unum,” exploring topics that unite and divide Americans. The dinner is from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 211 North Monroe.
For more information (or to purchase dinner tickets, including discounted season tickets) go online to www.tothevillagesquare.org, call 590-6646 or email info@tothevillagesquare.org. Call early for scholarship ticket availability.
From 8 to 9:30 pm the same evening Haidt will speak at FSU’s Student Life Cinema on the topic “The Righteous Mind: How morality binds us together and tears us apart.” The program is part of the FSU Golden Tribe Lecture Series, co-sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and the FSU Center for Leadership and Civic Education. It is free and open to the public as space allows once students are seated. For more information go online to www.thecenter.fsu.edu or call 644-3342.
In association with these two events, the public radio show “This American Life” is seeking interview subjects locally for a story on how the Red/Blue split in this country is affecting relationships between friends and family members. If you or someone you know is struggling to deal with a political divide with someone you care about ¬ or desperately wants to rebuild a relationship that has suffered because of politics – contact This American Life at storypitch@thislife.org or 212-624-5022. The Village Square will give two free dinner tickets to the people selected for this story.
For more information, go online to www.tothevillagesquare.org or call 850-264-8785.
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