Name: Religion, evolution, and the ecstasy of self-transcendence
Uploaded: 2012-03-14T15:04:35Z
Duration: 17 min 59 s
Description: 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.

Religion, evolution, and the ecstasy of self-transcendence

Humans have an innate drive to transcend the self, sometimes feeling ecstasy as self-interest fades away. From mystical experiences to the shared energy of a postwar crowd, people unite and become more than individuals. This ability to climb the mental staircase from the ordinary to the sacred has deep roots in our evolution. When people come together around shared values, they unlock extraordinary cooperation and a sense of meaning.