The recent discussion on the Chick Fil A controversy made me think of a wonderful book I read this summer, Jonathan Haidt's "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Disagree on Politics and Religion." I think he has a lot to say about why the cultural/social/moral issues become so polarized and tribal. Here's a TED presentation by Haidt that does a good job summarizing his research. I also think that his approach is very much related to traditional Quaker discernment that uses all of our moral facilities, not just the ones we choose that confirm us where we are.

http://ed.ted.com/lessons/jonathan-haidt-on-the-moral-roots-of-libe...

Enjoy.