Moral Foundations Theory
Moral Foundations Theory is a descriptive account of human morality developed by Jonathan Haidt to explore the shared themes and similarities across disparate populations in terms that secularists might understand.
The framework identifies several innate psychological systems that constitute a first draft of the moral mind. Christian's call this the nous, our moral compass given to us by God.
Haidt explains them as Innate but "modifiable" mechanisms (able to be perverted and misaligned), which provide the foundations upon which children are taught local virtues, vices, and moral practices.
The theory is structured around four primary claims: nativism, cultural learning, intuitionism, and pluralism.
Nativism asserts that the brain is organised in advance of experience - essentially Scientism seraching for our Existance and Nature - which Haidt sees as providing a first draft which is subsequently revised by culture.
Cultural learning involves the editing of this first draft during development within a specific cultural context.
Intuitionism maintains that intuitions come first and strategic reasoning follows to justify those intuitions. Pluralism suggests that there are many recurrent social challenges in evolutionary history, leading to multiple distinct moral foundations.
Moral Intuitionism and Reasoning
Reasoning regarding moral issues tends to be post hoc, functioning like a press secretary who justifies the positions of a president rather than exploring how they were reached.
This relationship between intuition and reason is described through the metaphor of a rider and an elephant, where the rider represents the rational mind and the elephant represents the unconscious, intuitive mind.
The elephant determines the direction, while the rider develops explanations for the decision that it has not made. Consequently, moral change often results from changes in intuition and emotion rather than logic alone.
Persuasion is most effective when it speaks to the elephant first, moving it in a new direction so that the rider follows.
The Six Primary Foundations
Six candidate foundations have been identified for which the empirical evidence is strongest.
1. Care/Harm
This foundation is related to the long evolution of humans as mammals with attachment systems and the ability to feel the pain of others. It underlies the virtues of kindness, gentleness, and nurturance, serving as the basis for protecting vulnerable individuals from harm.
2. Fairness/Reciprocity
Related to the evolutionary process of reciprocal altruism, this foundation underlies the virtues of justice and rights. It has been reformulated into two distinct categories: Equality, involving intuitions about equal treatment and outcomes, and Proportionality, which emphasises individuals getting rewarded in proportion to their merit or contribution.
3. Loyalty/Ingroup
This foundation is rooted in the history of humans as tribal creatures able to form shifting coalitions. It is active whenever individuals prioritise group interests, underpinning virtues of patriotism and self-sacrifice for the group.
4. Authority/Respect
Shaped by a primate history of hierarchical social interactions, this foundation involves voluntary deference to legitimate authority and respect for tradition. It underlies the virtues of leadership and followership.
5. Sanctity/Purity
This system was shaped by the psychology of disgust and contamination. It underlies notions of striving to live in an elevated, less carnal, and more noble way, often manifesting in the idea that the body is a temple that can be desecrated by immoral activities.
6. Liberty/Oppression
This foundation pertains to the feelings of reactance and resentment people feel toward those who dominate them and restrict their freedom. It motivates individuals to come together in solidarity to oppose oppressors or bullies.
Ideological Variations
Political orientations are distinguished by how they draw upon these foundations. Liberals construct their moral systems primarily on the individualising foundations of Care/Harm and Fairness/Reciprocity, with a strong emphasis on Liberty.
Conservatives utilise a more even distribution across the binding foundations, which include the individualising foundations plus Loyalty/Ingroup, Authority/Respect, and Sanctity/Purity.
Libertarians show high endorsement of the Liberty foundation while generally reporting lower scores on the other foundations compared to partisans.
Evolutionary Dynamics
From this Materialistic and Darwinian frame, moral systems function as interlocking sets of values and practices that suppress or regulate selfishness to make social life possible.