Kids Are Tiny, Judgmental Snobs When It Comes to Morality

New York Magazine:

There’s a line in one of the Harry Potter books where Dumbledore, the wise old headmaster of Hogwarts, reassures Harry that despite some Voldemort-ish tendencies, there’s one very important thing that sets him apart from the Dark Lord: “It is our choices, Harry, that show who we truly are, far more than our abilities.” It’s a great line, and it works: Harry feels better about himself, and the wizarding world goes on turning.

A younger wizard, though, would not be so easily placated. According to a new study in the journal Psychological Science, younger children aren’t interested in your choices so much as your thought process: Kids demand moral purity, and anything less makes you just a little bit evil.

Read the whole story: New York Magazine