Morality and Politics

[Michael Hardner]

Scientific American blog

Interesting article on values and politics:

As the graph illustrates, liberals value Care and Fairness much more than the other three moral foundations [loyalty, authority, sanctity] whereas conservative endorse all five more or less equally. This shouldn’t sound too surprising, liberals tend to value universal rights and reject the idea of the United States being superior while conservatives tend to be less concerned about the latest United Nation declaration and more partial to the United States as a superior nation.

I took the quiz and found that I don't have many morals at all. As per the Woody Allen film title, I seem to support "whatever works". So I'm a liberal libertarian. Or something.

The article rather oddly ends with an exhortation:

they [Asian societies in the past] realized that societies flourish when they value all of the moral foundations to some degree. This is why Ying and Yang aren’t enemies, “they are both necessary, like night and day, for the functioning of the world.” Or, similarly, why the two of the high Gods in Hinduism, Vishnu the preserver (who stands for conservative principles) and Shiva the destroyer (who stands for liberal principles) work together.

Now, it’s time for us to decide – the blue pill or the red pill. Political bickering plagues the United States; both parties are unwilling to cooperate and understand the others’ point of view. Let’s hope we make the correct decision. Maybe then we can break out of our Righteous Minds.

So, this implores liberals to value sanctity, loyalty and authority more and for conservatives to value fairness and caring.

[cybercoma]

Was it the Moral Foundations Quiz that you took?

[Michael Hardner]

Yes, the first one.

[cybercoma]

I happen to be higher than conservatives and liberals on the harm scale, between the two on the fairness scale, and below both conservatives and liberals on the remaining three.

I also took the logic quiz (formal v intuitive reasoning test) because I found the idea of that study fascinating. I was assigned to the partisan bias quiz. I was more resisttant to bias than both liberals and conservatives for both liberal and conservative biases. Intersetingly, I was actually more resistant to liberal bias than conservative bias by 3%.

[Guest Manny]

So, this implores liberals to value sanctity, loyalty and authority more and for conservatives to value fairness and caring.

This makes perfect sense coming from a liberal, but it is complete nonsense. With this attitude of a perverse equality, you become like me and I become like you. What we have then is a grey flavorless soup. Worse than useless. Dysfunctional.