He grew up as a secular Jew. At 17, he was in a motorcycle accident that nearly killed him and left him with serious head injury. He says this was formative as it made him face his mortality and pursue ideas around life’s purpose and our existence. He decided to pursue social psychology because of this.
He grew up as a secular liberal, but he still defends conservative values and critiques the left when their views seem unhealthy. For example, I read his book The Coddling of the American Mind, where he is very critical of the liberal protective mindset towards children and students. He argues their philosophy of “What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker.” has created a generation that lacks determination and resilience.
