Intuitions Drive Moral Judgments

Jonathan Haidt argues that moral judgments are primarily driven by automatic, intuitive processes rather than deliberate reasoning. He likens this to a rider (reason) steering an elephant (intuition), where the rider often justifies the movements of the elephant post hoc. As Haidt writes, 'Intuitions come first, strategic reasoning second.' This idea challenges rationalist approaches, asserting that our gut feelings significantly influence moral decisions, often overriding logical deliberation.