Jonathan Haidt

It only works as a shared system, an order. And once kids move on to social media, it's just a million little fragments of nonsense.

It only works as a shared system, an order. And once kids move on to social media, it's just a million little fragments of nonsense.

I stand by that bold assertion.

I stand by that bold assertion.

And there I see this generational change. You can see sort of the tight moral order of the 1950s. And when you look at old movies, like from the 30s and 40s, there was a really tight moral order. And like, it would be dramatic whether a woman could like go into a man's apartment.

And there I see this generational change. You can see sort of the tight moral order of the 1950s. And when you look at old movies, like from the 30s and 40s, there was a really tight moral order. And like, it would be dramatic whether a woman could like go into a man's apartment.

That was like a, you know, so there was a really intense moral order, including around gender, around all sorts of things. And that, of course, begins to loosen up in the 60s. And there are many good things that happened because of that. But one of the concerns about sort of modern secular society has been you gradually lose this moral framework within which to raise children.

That was like a, you know, so there was a really intense moral order, including around gender, around all sorts of things. And that, of course, begins to loosen up in the 60s. And there are many good things that happened because of that. But one of the concerns about sort of modern secular society has been you gradually lose this moral framework within which to raise children.

And I'm really aware now of how we each, we're all influenced by our parents and just maybe a little bit by our grandparents. Culture has always sort of come down vertically through generations, but that link is getting weakened. So I think there is a progressive weakening of a sense of a moral order, which affects how you parent. And then we end up with a kind of an amoral relationship.

And I'm really aware now of how we each, we're all influenced by our parents and just maybe a little bit by our grandparents. Culture has always sort of come down vertically through generations, but that link is getting weakened. So I think there is a progressive weakening of a sense of a moral order, which affects how you parent. And then we end up with a kind of an amoral relationship.

focused on grades and, I guess, be nice and a few other things, but it's a very thin moral gruel, I'd say.

focused on grades and, I guess, be nice and a few other things, but it's a very thin moral gruel, I'd say.

No, I think that's exactly right. I'll just bring a couple points to bear. One is there's an incredible book called called The Age of Addiction by David Courtright. And he chronicles how people have always wanted sugar and they foraged for fruit, but then you learn to refine sugar and now you get sugar-based products and then you get candy.

No, I think that's exactly right. I'll just bring a couple points to bear. One is there's an incredible book called called The Age of Addiction by David Courtright. And he chronicles how people have always wanted sugar and they foraged for fruit, but then you learn to refine sugar and now you get sugar-based products and then you get candy.

And then, so once we get a market-based economy in the Industrial Revolution, We find more and more ways to make these products that our brains evolved to crave, but now they're limitless. You can have limitless quantities effortlessly. And the same is true for opiates. You get opium to heroin to fentanyl.

And then, so once we get a market-based economy in the Industrial Revolution, We find more and more ways to make these products that our brains evolved to crave, but now they're limitless. You can have limitless quantities effortlessly. And the same is true for opiates. You get opium to heroin to fentanyl.

A free market society, the best definition of it I heard was from a philosopher who said, a good free market society is one in which you can only get rich by making other people better off. And for the most part in our economy, that is still true. But now let's look at the products we're talking about.

A free market society, the best definition of it I heard was from a philosopher who said, a good free market society is one in which you can only get rich by making other people better off. And for the most part in our economy, that is still true. But now let's look at the products we're talking about.

If you're a sports betting company, if you're a crypto company, if you're a video game company, if you're a social media company, are you making your money by making people better off? Or are you playing on addiction, manipulating social forces? Are you spreading enormous negative externalities around society? And I would argue that's what's happening.

If you're a sports betting company, if you're a crypto company, if you're a video game company, if you're a social media company, are you making your money by making people better off? Or are you playing on addiction, manipulating social forces? Are you spreading enormous negative externalities around society? And I would argue that's what's happening.