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Just babies
273 pages
A thought-provoking journey into the minds of infants that challenges everything we assume about the origins of human morality.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like stepping into a fascinating, intellectually probing seminar on the origins of human nature. The pace is steady and deliberate, guiding the reader through years of psychological research with prose that is both erudite and remarkably accessible. The mood is deeply curious and revelatory, shifting from the heartwarming realization that infants possess an innate sense of empathy and justice, to the sobering acknowledgment of our hardwired tribalism and bigotry. It is an analytical yet vivid exploration of good and evil that challenges long-held assumptions about child development. This thought-provoking experience will delight readers who love exploring the intersection of moral philosophy and developmental psychology, leaving them with a profound appreciation for the human capacity to reason beyond our primitive instincts.
- Mood
- thought-provoking
- curious
- revelatory
- Tone
- probing
- erudite
- accessible
- analytical
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- innate morality · the roots of good and evil · in-group bias · the capacity for reason · infant psychology
- The writing
- Vivid and accessible, translating years of complex psychological research into engaging, erudite arguments.
- The arc
- Moves from a curious exploration of innate infant goodness to a sobering confrontation with our natural prejudices, ultimately landing on a hopeful note about the power of human reason.
- Who it's for
- Readers fascinated by the intersection of developmental psychology and moral philosophy who want to understand the biological roots of human behavior.
Content notes
- discussions of bigotry
- discussions of prejudice
About the book
"From Sigmund Freud to Jean Piaget, psychologists have long believed that we begin life as amoral animals. After all, isn't it the role of society--and especially parents--to transform babies from little psychopaths into civilized beings who can experience empathy and shame, and override selfish impulses? In Just Babies, Paul Bloom argues that humans are in fact hardwired with a sense of morality. Drawing upon years of original research at Yale, he shows that babies and toddlers can judge the goodness and badness of others' actions; that they act to soothe those in distress; and that they feel guilt, shame, pride, and righteous anger. Yet this innate morality is tragically limited. Our natural morality extends toward those in our own group, but this is offset by ingrained dislike, even hatred, of those in different groups. Put simply, we are natural-born bigots. Vivid and intellectually probing, Just Babies argues that it's only through our uniquely human capacity for reason that we can transcend the primitive sense of morality we are born with. This erudite yet accessible book will captivate readers of Steven Pinker, Philip Zimbardo, and Robert Wright."--
Description from Open Library.
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