Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Introducing the newest thing in higher (and we really mean higher — like look UP) education: The Flying Pig Academy. A dream of The Village Square (with support from Florida Humanities) for many years, it's finally aloft. The division in American society is big and seems impossible at times to address.
The Flying Pig Academy is kind of an insider's how to.
Spending two decades trying to build trust between people who don't look or think alike changes you. It's been like a stereogram where a whole different way of understanding the world pops out at you, like a second picture hidden inside the first one you see. We were beginning to understand these alternative ways of viewing the world when Dr. Jonathan Haidt wrote his groundbreaking book "The Righteous Mind" advancing Moral Foundations Theory as a way to explain differences across the political divide. Then we were off to the races. This is a conversation about what we learned.
Mentioned: Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind (righteousmind.com/)
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks piece: The Keys to Understanding American anti-Semitism—and fighting back (jta.org/2020/01/02/opinion/rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks-the-keys-to-understanding-american-anti-semitism-and-fighting-back)
The Rise and Fall of European Meritocracy (nytimes.com/2017/01/17/opinion/the-rise-and-fall-of-european-meritocracy.html) , Ivan Krastev, New York Times.
Check out previous Flying Pig Academy episodes:
Village SquareCast podcast series we're calling "Flying Pig Academy." Check'em out:
•
Location, Location, Location (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/4949d85cf66989b75f8f1e63095b30d0949c405a/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR The First, Second and Third Rule for Building Trust Across Division
•
The Righteous Mind OR How Jonathan Haidt wrote THE BOOK for pigs with higher aspirations (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/4f1d6f6bc79a3e5c2369ba731e0a91fcac7019dc/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID)
•
Carom Shots: (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/54ac973a01a0bf0fbf8557693270bc997228a4ba/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) Why Working Upstream from Conflict is So Powerful OR how to become a civility pool shark
•
Criss Cross Applesauce (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/4912a92ed4c83febda8eb6f5b33377a3c76bce4c/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR How Complexity Changes Everything
•
Core Catalyst Model (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/2188a0e13123eae46733fed1d1db7012cef224c0/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR What Old Trees Have to Teach Us About Rebuilding Civic Life
•
Bad Therapy (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/a10b9d6bdb526ef991bc1e59283690f3da67c2eb/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR Why We Really Should Think Groupishly to Address Political Division
•
Walk Away from That Box (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/9e8e951c6d8568272e2eb958adb23f3cf9e8dab8/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/9e8e951c6d8568272e2eb958adb23f3cf9e8dab8/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR Why Fixing Civil Discourse Requires Less Politics, not more (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/9e8e951c6d8568272e2eb958adb23f3cf9e8dab8/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID)
Introducing the newest thing in higher (and we really mean higher — like look UP) education: The Flying Pig Academy. A dream of The Village Square (with support from Florida Humanities) for many years, it's finally aloft. The division in American society is big and seems impossible at times to address.
The Flying Pig Academy is kind of an insider's how to.
Spending two decades trying to build trust between people who don't look or think alike changes you. It's been like a stereogram where a whole different way of understanding the world pops out at you, like a second picture hidden inside the first one you see. We were beginning to understand these alternative ways of viewing the world when Dr. Jonathan Haidt wrote his groundbreaking book "The Righteous Mind" advancing Moral Foundations Theory as a way to explain differences across the political divide. Then we were off to the races. This is a conversation about what we learned.
Mentioned: Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mind (righteousmind.com/)
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks piece: The Keys to Understanding American anti-Semitism—and fighting back (jta.org/2020/01/02/opinion/rabbi-lord-jonathan-sacks-the-keys-to-understanding-american-anti-semitism-and-fighting-back)
The Rise and Fall of European Meritocracy (nytimes.com/2017/01/17/opinion/the-rise-and-fall-of-european-meritocracy.html) , Ivan Krastev, New York Times.
Check out previous Flying Pig Academy episodes:
Village SquareCast podcast series we're calling "Flying Pig Academy." Check'em out:
•
Location, Location, Location (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/4949d85cf66989b75f8f1e63095b30d0949c405a/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR The First, Second and Third Rule for Building Trust Across Division
•
The Righteous Mind OR How Jonathan Haidt wrote THE BOOK for pigs with higher aspirations (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/4f1d6f6bc79a3e5c2369ba731e0a91fcac7019dc/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID)
•
Carom Shots: (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/54ac973a01a0bf0fbf8557693270bc997228a4ba/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) Why Working Upstream from Conflict is So Powerful OR how to become a civility pool shark
•
Criss Cross Applesauce (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/4912a92ed4c83febda8eb6f5b33377a3c76bce4c/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR How Complexity Changes Everything
•
Core Catalyst Model (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/2188a0e13123eae46733fed1d1db7012cef224c0/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR What Old Trees Have to Teach Us About Rebuilding Civic Life
•
Bad Therapy (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/a10b9d6bdb526ef991bc1e59283690f3da67c2eb/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR Why We Really Should Think Groupishly to Address Political Division
•
Walk Away from That Box (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/9e8e951c6d8568272e2eb958adb23f3cf9e8dab8/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/9e8e951c6d8568272e2eb958adb23f3cf9e8dab8/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID) OR Why Fixing Civil Discourse Requires Less Politics, not more (podfollow.com/villagesquarecast/episode/9e8e951c6d8568272e2eb958adb23f3cf9e8dab8/view?mc_cid=66f03c4a54&mc_eid=UNIQID)
