# Religion, evolution, and the ecstasy of self-transcendence

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED2012
- Speaker: Jonathan Haidt
- Year: 2012
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Biology, Religion
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/jonathan_haidt_religion_evolution_and_the_ecstasy_of_self_transcendence)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt asks a simple, but difficult question: why do we search for self-transcendence? Why do we attempt to lose ourselves? In a tour through the science of evolution by group selection, he proposes a provocative answer.

## Lectures

1. [Religion, evolution, and the ecstasy of self-transcendence](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/jonathan_haidt_religion_evolution_and_the_ecstasy_of_self_transcendence/c4222a5cebd8), 18 min (TED's player)