We humans have an extraordinary ability to care about things beyond ourselves, to circle around those things with other people, and in the process to… - Jonathan Haidt

People don’t get depressed when they face threats collectively; they get depressed when they feel isolated, lonely, or useless.

Gossip and reputation make sure that what comes around - a person who is cruel will find that the others are cruel back to him, and a person who is kind will find others are kind in return. Gossip paired with reciprocity allow karma to work here on earth, not in the next life. As long as everyone plays tit-for-tat augmented by gratitude, vengeance, and gossip, the whole system should work beautifully.

If you think that moral reasoning is something we do to figure out the truth, you’ll be constantly frustrated by how foolish, biased, and illogical people become when they disagree with you.