We like to think we are purely rational creates, which is not valid. The only humans without emotions are sociopaths. When it comes to our morality and emotions, intuitions come first, and reasoning comes second. We first get the feeling; then, we seek to justify it after. This is part of the confirmation bias, and the analogy is the rider and the elephant.
The rider and the elephant – The elephant is our intuition (subconscious), and the rider is our reasoning (conscious) mind. The elephant is directing the rider based on our emotions and feelings, while wherever the elephant goes, the rider is his attorney, always justifying the decisions and movements. Our intuitions are the first process because when we evolved, we didn’t have the cognitive bandwidth (and still don’t) to analyze every situation continually. This ancestor would not have survived.
Application in today’s world – Intuitions come first, and reasoning comes second can be seen in morality and politics. Two people with different viewpoints will keep grabbing random facts to help justify their perspective. Two other good people can come to entirely different conclusions. In their minds, they are wholly justified. Part of the intuitions can come from upbringing and need to belong to a group.
Why this analogy is helpful – The next time you find yourself in an argument with someone, realize they are coming from a different moral playground. The more facts you say to them, it will not change their mind (some people can make them less willing to change). Look for any common ground between the person. You can seek to start changing their intuitions by empathizing with them and intuitively see it from their way. Most people don’t randomly have a moral point of view. This is much easier said than done.
When we begin to understand how our mind works, we can help us understand others. This can allow us to feel more connected to each other. We can think about how others think, and with this, we can help them and ourselves move closer and closer to the truth. A lot of these points were from The Righteous Mind. Link below: