Breaking Out of Stupidity
Christianity is a treasure capable of guiding and enriching our public life. Christianity teaches that the only way to properly situate oneself in the world (not to mention the world to come) is to locate one’s life squarely in Christ because he is himself abundant in life. Life apart from him is detached from reality. Still, one need not embrace Christianity to glean from its wisdom. The secular social psychologist Jonathan Haidt drew upon the biblical tradition to diagnose what he calls our “uniquely stupid” age. Focusing on the influence of social media, Haidt considers the Babel story the best metaphor for understanding our profound social and political divisions because the story, at its heart, is about fragmentation. I believe Haidt is correct: we live in a uniquely stupid time. The smartphone doesn’t help. These devices (like towers) aren’t inherently evil, and as tools, they can be helpful. Nevertheless, the Babel narrative provides a road map away from stupidity toward spiritu...