Jonathan Haidt studies moral systems. He studied the differences between Conservatives and Liberals and came up with some interesting results.
http://www.ted.com/...
The central difference between Liberals and Conservatives is "openness to experience." Liberals are open to experiential learning; Conservatives are closed and prefer consistency. Haidt understands that this is a major problem for anyone trying to move forward on community issues. I mean community issues in the broadest sense, government, policy, business, religion, more or less everything. After reading anthropology, sociology and literature from other disciplines, he identified 5 major elements of almost every moral system.
The first is Harm/Care. Compassion and empathy lead us to care for people we have never met and work against those who do harm. The second is Fairness/Reciprocity. This permeates systems of justice and business. The third is Ingroup/Loyalty. Tribes are the name of the game, whether they be nations or pro football teams. The fourth is Authority/Respect. Authority in humans is much more complex than animals, but is still usually based on power. The fifth is Purity/Sanctity. Haidt points out that the Left is very concerned with Purity in its own way when it comes to food and the environment.
Now, having identified these five elements, Haidt posted a survey online. Conservatives and Liberals score differently but also consistently on the tests. Liberals value Harm/Care and Fairness/Reciprocity the most, while rejecting Ingroup, Authority and Purity. Conservatives value all of them about the same.
Haidt argues that Loyalty, Authority and Purity have a roll to play in moral systems. He cites studies that show good intentions are not enough to solve problems of cooperation in a group. Punishment and the threat thereof keep people honest in ways that high-mindedness do not. Conservative values, in Haidt's view, protect social order as well. He concludes with some nice inspiring words about how to move forward on problems that require changing peoples' minds.
But I'm not buying all of it. Conservatives in America today do not seem to actually follow this moral system and have also demonstrated how choosing Loyalty, Respect and their brand of Purity can lead to disaster. Haidt's most important point that he does not emphasize is the Conservative preservation of order. But what happens when these morals do not preserve a just social order?
We have seen the consequences of Ingroup/Loyalty run amok in our government's recent abuses of human rights and our own laws. "Terrorists," "enemy combatants," "Islamofascists," even just plain "Muslims" are no longer human beings to many of us. The Obama administration has even gone so far as to formally state that US citizens can be executed if they are aiding the "enemy" and mean to do harm to the US.
Authority/Respect has also lead to parallel disasters. Conservatives followed the Bush administration off a cliff. They would hear no criticism or dissent, calling any who spoke up "traitors" or "un-American." Authority/Respect has also lead ordinary god-fearing people to trust religious institutions in ways they should not. The Catholic Church has been rocked by scandal after scandal around the world and now the Jesuits in Germany as well. Who would have trusted their children to these men if not for the respect religion demands?
Sanctity/Purity has similarly gone off the rails. The unreasoning and ignorant fear of gay people being the most prominent example. Also, opposition to sex education and a woman's right to control her body in contrast to data indicating that sex education works and empowered women improve society.
I argue that Loyalty, Respect and Purity are not in fact moral in themselves. They are only moral when they are in the service of a social order that serves the greater good. Only Harm/Care and Fairness/Reciprocity are universal values to be respected at all times. Our government and ordinary Americans need to remember that.
Anyone looking for support of the info in this article can try these links or just Google. None of the assertions in here are hard to support and I'm sure you could find them any number of places.
Execution of US citizens:
http://www.commondreams.org/...
"Un-American" Criticism:
http://www.spinsanity.org/...
Church child abuse and coverups:
http://www.deliverusfromevilthemovie...
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/...
http://www.reuters.com/...
Sex ed:
http://abcnews.go.com/...
Women's rights:
http://www.foreignaffairs.com/...
I'm looking to begin a discussion on the issue of morality. This post is too short to cover anything comprehensively. But it's something to think about. Please add your thoughts.