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Sunday, September 21, 2008
Paperbacks, Pay-Per-View and Moral Philosophy "The Year of Living Biblically" just came out in paperback this week (it's got lots of exciting bonus material! Including book club guide! And a recipe! Makes a great gift!) As I was saying, my book came out in paperback this week, and I was out on a mini-book tour. I spent a lot of time at airport Starbucks. I particularly recommend the Louisville outlet -- very friendly staff. I also rented "Don't Mess With the Zohan" on the hotel Pay Per View (which was, to paraphrase A.O. Scott, the best movie I've ever seen about an Israeli secret agent who wants to be a hairdresser). Since the movie probably lowered my IQ a half-dozen points, I tried to nourish my brain a bit in the form of a TED.com video. I love these videos -- they're a collection of 18-minute speeches from scientists, authors, religious leaders, artists and the occasional wackjob in which they talk about their work. This past week I watched one of the best -- a speech by Jonathan Haidt. Haidt is a professor of psychology at the University of Virginia and his speech is about why good, well-intentioned people come to have radically different morals. Why do some become liberal and others conservative? Why didn't Sarah Palin buy a hybrid snowmobile and join PETA to save the moose from extinction? Haidt uses evolutionary psychology, philosophy, biology and the occasional expletive-filled cartoon to explain how we gain our ethical beliefs. (see below for wikipedia's summary of the theory, if you don't have time to watch the video) Haidt talks about how humans' fallback position is self-righteousness. The other side is inevitably either idiotic or evil or some combination of the two. But if we're ever going to bridge this blue/red or black/white or east/west divide, we have to start by understanding the other side's morality. I'm a big fan of this idea. One of my main reasons for writing "The Year of Living Biblically" was to live out the maxim, "Walk a mile in someone else's shoes." Or sandals, in my case. Having grown up in a secular home and a secular city and a secular workplace, I wanted to see the world from a different perspective. Some of my favorite emails (aside from the ones asking for tips about how to keep your beard soft and manageable) come from people who say my book helped them understand the perspective of the other side -- whether that side is the secular side or the religious side. Those notes make me commit the sin of pride. If you want some fascinating insights into the importance of shoe substitution, take 18 minutes and listen to Haidt. Here's's how the wikipedia summarizes it. Haidt's Moral Foundations Theory looks at the way morality varies between cultures and identifies five fundamental moral values shared to a greater or lesser degree by different societies and individuals. These are; 1. Care for others, protecting them from harm 2. Fairness, Justice, treating others equally. 3. Loyalty to your group, family, nation 4. Respect for tradition and legitimate authority. 5. Purity, avoiding disgusting things, foods, actions. Haidt found that Americans who identified as Conservatives valued all of these equally but those who identified as Liberals valued care and fairness much more highly than loyalty, respect and purity.
posted by A.J. Jacobs at 11:36 PM
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9 Comments:
AJ - just got the book in paperback. I highly recommend it! I've been laughing my way through it. Thanks!
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I just finished your book yesterday--in hardback. It was worth the $25 btw, though I would have enjoyed those bonus features. I'm going to read The Know It All now, and I can't wait.
Just picked up your book and moving into Month 3. Just loving the whole premise and can't wait to see where it took you. I posted a recommendation for it already.
Wonder if you ever read Lamb by Christopher Moore. If ever there is an interest in humorous blasphemy, this is it.
Thanks!!
I just got the book last night and have already finished it. I never thought I would laugh out loud while reading a book about living a biblical life. It was great! I felt like I went on a spiritual journey with you, and I am inspired to read the bible myself. I was really impressed with what a good sport your wife was! Thanks for a great read.
AJ,
I'm sure Haidt will commit the sin of pride if he sees he is mentioned on your blog.
Your book lives on here in Lanc. Co. It was referred to at a Bible study I attended Monday.
I'm so excited that I found your blog!
I've been reading your book (paperback edition, a wife on my street stole my hardback edition, no I am not kidding, yes I am still bitter about it) and I.love.it. I'm thoroughly anti-religious myself (having been raised in an extremely devout mormon family, and running screaming in the opposite direction just as soon as I could), but your book has allowed me to view things from The Other Side. I've really enjoyed the change of perspective. I daresay I needed it. In the last couple of years I've become so comfortable with my religious allergy that I've lost sight of the fact that there are plenty of people who are religious as well as being good and decent.
Your book is a gentle (and humorous) reminder of that. So on that note, I'm going to stop abusing parenthesis (because really, they we're never meant for such heavy lifting) and I'm going to go finish that book of yours. And then I'm going to recommend it to everyone I know.
Bonus material? Dang...
I'm going to go hold my hardback copy and weep.
Seriously though, this devout Catholic turned frum Jew loved it.
Dear AJ - I'm reading your book. I borrowed it from the library. That's OK isn't it? Nothing in the bible about being a borrower? No, that would be Ben Franklin that weighed in on that. I LOVE your book and your experiment and the crazy whole-hearted way you went about it. I was born into a Christian family (United Church which is sort of a Canadian Methodist or something). My dad is pretty religious now - replaced his booze with the book which is fine I guess. I'm a Buddhist and have been for twenty-five years. Not devout enough - the guilt oh the guilt! I would like to try your experiment as a Buddhist. Sure we have loads of goofy and not so goofy rules too. Not commandments maybe but hey - who knows how the translation went. I have so many things to tell you that I think I probably won't. Cuz you'll think I'm a stalker or something. Just one thing - in the Book of Kells (which I researched for a book that I wrote) there are some differences between the text and the accepted Gospels. Here is one that ROCKED MY DODGEY HIPPY WORLD - Here it is as described in Wikipedia - Matthew 10:34b should read "I came not to send peace, but a sword," but the manuscript reads gaudium ("joy") where it should read gladium ("sword") and so translates as "I came not [only] to send peace, but joy."
I'm all for that! Might have changed a few wars here and there but ah well - we'll never know.
Thanks for being first of all daring and willing and then very funny. I'm laughing but I'm also very touched. The dancing men and your moments trapped in a bathroom are my favorites so far.
After going through all the books I've accumulated I made a vow, (no too strong a word) a promise, (no still too strong) a suggestion, (yes--I can take it or leave it) to read books that were from the library--ONLY and not purchase another. I picked up The Year...and couldn't finish it without making it overdue. It was too good not to own! I want to give it for Christmas to several friends. I went to B&N and I was disappointed that it is in the "Humor" section. It should be in the Christmas book section or the philosophy section or in the nonfiction section. The humor shines through like the sun in Jerusalem. But AJ's spiritual growth outshines the humor. God must be smiling at you, AJ. You are a good press agent for His Book. Your search to make God meaningful in your busy life is my search. Like any search, we are not always as successful as we would like to be--but Mo Theresa's saying about success gives me comfort.."We are not called to be successful but to be faithful." Hope your search never ends. A new fan
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