The lesson Buddha and Marcus Aurelius had taught centuries earlier: "Nothing is miserable unless you think it so; and on the other hand, nothing brin… - Jonathan Haidt

skilled arguers … are not after the truth but after arguments supporting their views.

This is an essential part of our story. Americans now bear such animosity toward one another that it’s almost as if many are holding up signs saying, “Please tell me something horrible about the other side, I’ll believe anything!” Americans are now easily exploitable, and a large network of profit-driven media sites, political entrepreneurs, and foreign intelligence agencies are taking advantage of this vulnerability.

In our identitarian age, the bar for offense has been lowered considerably, which makes democratic debate more difficult — citizens are more likely to withhold their true opinions if they fear being labeled as bigoted or insensitive.