In Dr. Beck’s Spotlight he discussed how people experience conflict when they disagree on the role of purity in making moral or social decisions. Did you know that this is the same dynamic that sits behind the conflict between conservatives and liberals?
The psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues that 5 Moral Foundations form the basis of human moral psychology, how we think about right versus wrong. More, Haidt argues that one way to understand the conflicts between liberals and conservatives is to notice how they use the 5 Foundations and which they think is most important. Relevant to Dr. Beck’s Spotlight talk, one of the Moral Foundations involves notions of purity. Can you guess which group–liberal or conservative–finds the notion of purity to be an important moral consideration?
What are the 5 Moral Foundations? Dr. Haidt discusses these at a recent TED Talk:
For more on the 5 Moral Foundations you can go to the Moral Foundations webpage where you can take also the Moral Foundations Questionnaire to see how you score across the 5 Foundations.
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A Moral Foundation Case Study
After you’ve explored the Moral Foundations, consider how the Moral Foundations are being used in the recent cultural debates regarding homosexuality. Consider this quote from biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann regarding how Christians approach the issue of homosexuality:
It is evident that the current and freighted dispute in the U.S. church concerning homosexual persons, especially their ordination, indicates the continuing felt cruciality of the tradition of holiness, even after we imagine we have moved beyond such “primitiveness.” It is my impression that the question of equal rights and privileges for homosexuals (in civil society as in the church) is a question that may be adjudicated on the grounds of justice. It is equally my impression, however, that the enormous hostility to homosexual persons (as to proposals of justice for them) does not concern issues of justice and injustice, but rather concerns the more elemental issues of purity—cleanness and uncleanness.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
1. In light of Brueggemann’s quote, how are the Moral Foundations coming into conflict in the case of homosexuality? How should his conflict be resolved?
2. Are there other issues in the “culture wars” where the Moral Foundations are coming into conflict?
3. Can an awareness of the Moral Foundations help you better understand liberals or conservatives who might disagree with you? If so, how?
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