The Center for the Science of Moral Understanding studies why people disagree and how to bring them together. Their research found that sharing personal stories works better than sharing facts when trying to connect with people who think differently. They discovered that all people make moral decisions the same way - based on what they think causes harm.
When people disagree about issues like immigration, it's because they see different types of harm, not because they have completely different moral systems. The research also shows that people are more willing to talk with political opponents when they see them as rational rather than crazy. Another key finding is that people have different ideas about who can be harmed - conservatives might worry more about harm to business leaders, while liberals worry more about harm to the environment.
The center has published papers in major science journals and won awards for their work on reducing political anger and division.