Morality, Society, and Political Division

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Roughsoul1991

Senior Member
Sep 17, 2016
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#1
"Morality is not just something that people learn, argues Yale psychologist Paul Bloom: It is something we are all born with. At birth, babies are endowed with compassion, with empathy, with the beginnings of a sense of fairness. It is from these beginnings, he argues in his new book Just Babies, that adults develop their sense of right and wrong, their desire to do good — and, at times, their capacity to do terrible things." 1

(1)
The Moral Life of Babies
Yale Psychology Professor Paul Bloom finds the origins of morality in infants
By Gareth Cook on November 12, 2013
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-moral-life-of-babies/

Is morality the key factor that divides us as human beings? Is everything we see in disagreement a factor of rather how important something is on a moral scale?

The studies of infants and morality have confirmed what the Bible has taught for centuries. We have a moral conscience that at a foundational level guides right vs wrong. This is evident before the time of nurturing or environmental factors influence us.

Another study was done by Jonathan David Haidt who is a Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School of Business. His main two areas of study are the psychology of morality and moral emotions.

He has suggested that our moral foundation is the major reason for the political divide.

“Moral Foundations Theory.” Haidt argues that humans have six “Moral Foundations” through which we view politics and policy: the Care/Harm, Fairness/Cheating, Loyalty/Betrayal, Authority/Subversion, Sanctity/Degradation, and Liberty/Oppression foundations.

The article below sums up the theory in an easy to comprehend format.
https://dividedwefall.com/2018/07/15/the-righteous-mind-moral-foundations-theory/

Each group rather it is more conservative or liberal comes to different political beliefs based on the moral foundation above. The chart below is how each side scored.

morality.jpg
(Note liberty/oppression was added later and concluded to be about even within each group)

Liberals scored lower in Loyalty/Betrayal, Authority/Subversion, Sanctity/Degradation, and Liberty/Oppression due to their high beliefs on Care/Harm and Fairness/Cheating. Added also the equal score in liberty/oppression.

Conservatives were equally spaced out among all areas.

You can find Haidt's work in his book called,
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion

His book has been academically reviewed:
I include this to show why some see this study as interesting or some see it as needing more.

The goal of the study was to possibly show as Lawrence Blum described,

"In The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt claims that liberals have a narrower moral outlook than conservatives—they are concerned with fairness and relief of suffering, which Haidt sees as individualistic values, while conservatives care about authority and loyalty too, values concerned with holding society together. "

Hugh LaFollette and Michael L. Woodruff explained,

"Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind seeks to explain why it is difficult for liberals and conservatives to get along. His aim is not just explanatory but also prescriptive. Once we understand that the differences between disputants spring from distinct moral views held by equally sincere people, then we will no longer have reason for deep political animus.

Haidt had a noble reason to produce such a study. In summary, what does this mean? One group pushes order while the other disorder. Order becomes outdated and needs to change. But if in a constant state of change, you lose what you once were. And this could lead to societal decay, collapse, or splintering into different factions.

Some could argue well a liberal philosophy in Communist China may be good. To take a progressive approach to civil liberties. Is this the same approach we need in the West?

Yale Psychology Professor Paul Bloom put it this way,

"Every normal person has a sense of right and wrong, some appreciation of justice and fairness, some gut feelings that are triggered by kindness and cruelty. I like how Thomas Jefferson put it—the moral sense is “as much a part of man as his leg or arm.”

Now for the Biblical implications.

We are born with a foundational sense of right vs wrong. This is absolute and universally evident among all societies who wish to produce prosperity, defend life, and to defend liberty.

So what happens if the group decides that harm, cheating, betrayal, subversion, degradation, and oppression becomes the means to justify the ends? To take the immoral road to bring about what they consider as moral.

This is the rejection of morality on a societal scale regardless if some moral causes are intertwined like for example police brutality could need reforms but one group decides they will burn the whole system down to implement their idea of fair policing. Everyone wants fair policing but not on how do we achieve it.

Subversion of authority in an immoral state means they must reject the pull of the Holy Spirit. They must reject the preacher. They must reject the miracles and God's hand in the universe. They must reject the ultimate Authority of God Almighty.


Romans 2:15
New International Version

15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.

The wicked do not like being accused within their conscience so they suppress it and feed their minds with what their ears and hearts desire, the lies of Satan. Satan compliments them and tells them this is the way for the greater good to occur. They must bow to him and the ends will be justified.

Satan tried this with Jesus in

Matthew 4:8-9
New International Version

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

In conclusion, this is to provide a deeper look into what divides us and possibly the Biblical application.