Innovation, Moral Progress, and Hope for Humanity’s Future with Dr. Robert McGrath

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Heart trumps all—and the latest research may change how you think about morality, technology, and human progress. In this episode, psychologist and author Robert McGrath explores how people and societies change, and shares why he remains optimistic about humanity’s future.  From the three capacities McGrath calls heart, mind, and will to the ways innovation can spark both conflict and compassion, this conversation connects psychology, history, evolution and moral development. It offers a fresh perspective on why societies change, why progress can face backlash, and what helps us build more caring, just, and resilient communities. Dr. Alexandra Miller Clark guides the conversation with curious questions about moral growth and human progress.  Bob McGrath is a professor of psychology at Fairleigh Dickinson University. His new book, Bringing Fire:  How Innovation Helps us Change and Makes us Fight, explores how innovation shapes morality, conflict, and human behavior.  You'll discover:

• Why McGrath describes three key human capacities as heart, mind, and will
• How technologies like the printing press, television, and the internet can accelerate social change while also prompting temporary backlash
• What historical trends in violence can tell us about human progress
• What the histories of the slave trade and indigenous dispossession reveal about lasting moral and economic harm
• How memory reconsolidation may help us become more flexible and less certain that we are always right
• Why stories can persuade differently from statistics—and why both matter

The conversation also explores the role of social influencers, the Book of Ruth as a model for every day kindness in relationships and the importance of self-control. McGrath makes the case that human progress is not always linear though we continue to improve. 

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