Jonathan
Haidt’s elephant and the rider metaphor develops Hume’s famous “reason is the
slave of the passions”, and illustrates the elephant as the powerful,
emotion-driven part of the mind, while the rider symbolises rational,
controlled thought trying to steer it. However, the elephant often steers the
rider, as emotions, instincts, and ingrained beliefs influence our actions and
shape our reasoning. While the rider may believe they are in control, they
frequently justify decisions the elephant has already made, highlighting how
emotional impulses frequently overpower rational thought, particularly in
tribal areas where the beliefs of your in-group are what you feel compelled to
defend, even if there’s no empirical basis for them.Consequently,
most political commentary we read in newspapers and on social media is a
reflection of an individual’s tribal and emotional biases, rather than
thoughtful, well-reasoned analysis. Because of which, most political opinions
are not really edifying – and I think you’re only likely to offer worthwhile
contributions if you can master your elephant as a competent rider and
transcend the litany of prosaic in-group discourse. I think the most compelling
perspectives are those where the agent has tried to transcend instinctive
allegiances, in an attempt to cultivate a clarity that allows meaningful
engagement beyond the pull of predictable ‘them vs. us’ tribal partisans.
