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Religion, evolution, and the ecstasy of self-transcendence

1,475,621 views | Jonathan Haidt • TED2012

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt asks a simple, but difficult question: why do we search for self-transcendence? Why do we attempt to lose ourselves? In a tour through the science of evolution by group selection, he proposes a provocative answer.

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt asks a simple, but difficult question: why do we search for self-transcendence? Why do we attempt to lose ourselves? In a tour through the science of evolution by group selection, he proposes a provocative answer.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

About the speaker

Jonathan Haidt

Social psychologist

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Jonathan Haidt studies how -- and why -- we evolved to be moral and political creatures.

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.