Time/Location:  The discussion will take place from 4:00 to 6:00 pm on Friday, November 21 at Ecomotion: Earth Friendly Vehicles (1625 N.E. Sandy Blvd, Portland, Oregon 97232)

Topic: The real difference between liberals and conservatives...

Summary:

While the broad political realignment brought on by the recent elections leads many to be optimistic, the political view points remain highly divided in the United States. Understanding and being able to work with other world views continues to be an essential skill in fostering sustainability in organizations (be they businesses, government, or families). At our November Green Minds meeting, we are finishing our fall political series with a discussion of the moral and psychological factors that make people adopt liberal or conversation worldviews. We will focus on the work of psychologist Jonathan Haidt (http://people.virginia.edu/~jdh6n/). Selections include academic and online articles and a video from the MArch 2008 TED Conference.

To review our Fall series: At the September Green Minds session, we explored research on identity and the neuroscience of voting. Participants discussed their experiences of the ceremony and ritual of voting, the idea that strong political beliefs activate the "pleasure centers" in our brains, and difficulties finding objective sources of information. Participants described strong feelings ranging from "worn-out" to "disgusted" and even "revolted" regarding election-year politics and advertising and identified ways to "stay present" and healthy in the coming months. In October, we followed up with a discussion of ways that the "Red & Blue" state metaphor is inaccurate and problematic and how the political allegiance of Republicans and Democrats interacts with a widening gap on perspectives about climate change.

Click here for all past readings.

November Readings:  

• Haidt, J. (2008) What makes people vote Republican?. Edge Newsletter. 

• Johnathan Haidt: The real difference between liberals and conservatives. TED Conference March 2008. Video available at: http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jonathan_haidt_on_the_moral_mind.html
• Haidt, J & Graham, J. (2007) When morality opposes justice: Conservatives have moral intuitions that liberals may not recognize. Social Justice Research.
  

• Note:  Copies of  readings are available by request to Green Minds participants. Contact us.

Future Green Minds Dates: 12/19/08

Other educational opportunities:

• Center for Earth Leadership: Fall Classes & Workshops http://www.earthleaders.org/classes_workshops

• Northwest Earth Institute http://www.nwei.org/discussion_courses/course-offerings

• Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Counseling and Education ecopsychology-related courses http://www.lclark.edu/dept/ccps/wilderness.html