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Something has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Speakers are shouted down.  Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak honestly. Rates of anxiety, depression and suicide are rising. How did this happen?

Eminent social psychologist Jonathan Haidt thinks the new problems on campus have their origins in three terrible ideas that have become increasingly woven into American childhood and education—ideas that are making it harder and harder for students to become autonomous adults who are able to navigate the bumpy road of life.

In this riveting lecture drawing from his New York Times bestselling book, Haidt will investigate the many social trends that have intersected to promote the spread of these untruths. 

About the Series

The Benson Center promotes critical reflection on the distinctive traditions and political perspectives that characterize Western civilization. It encourages residents of Colorado and the United States to more fully understand and appreciate their past, their future and a free and creative American society within an international environment. This year’s Benson Center lecture series expands on the Benson Center’s 2019-20 theme, American Identities. For more information, please visit the website, /center/benson/.

About Jonathan Haidt

Jonathan Haidt (pronounced “height”) is a social psychologist at New York University’s Stern School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992, and taught for 16 years in the department of psychology at the University of Virginia

Haidt’s research examines the intuitive foundations of morality, and how morality varies across cultures––including the cultures of progressive, conservatives, and libertarians. His goal is to help people understand each other, live and work near each other, and even learn from each other despite their moral differences. Haidt has co-founded a variety of organizations and collaborations that apply moral and social psychology toward that end, including , , and .

Haidt is the author of , and of The New York Times bestsellers , and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure(co-authored with Greg Lukianoff). In 2019 he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was chosen by Prospect magazine as one of the world's "." He has given .

Students, faculty, and members of the public are encouraged to attend the free public lecture, which will be followed by a Q&A session and reception. Preregistration recommended but not required.