The Republican view of morality

Edge.org has a fascinating article by, Jonathan Haidt, an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Virginia entitled What Makes People Vote Republican? The following is an excerpt.

Why in particular do working class and rural Americans usually vote for pro-business Republicans when their economic interests would seem better served by Democratic policies? ... morality is not just about how we treat each other (as most liberals think); it is also about binding groups together, supporting essential institutions, and living in a sanctified and noble way.

When Republicans say that Democrats "just don't get it," this is the "it" to which they refer. Conservative positions on gays, guns, god, and immigration must be understood as means to achieve one kind of morally ordered society. When Democrats try to explain away these positions using pop psychology they err, they alienate, and they earn the label "elitist." But how can Democrats learn to see—let alone respect—a moral order they regard as narrow-minded, racist, and dumb?

...people who call themselves strongly liberal endorse statements related to the harm/care and fairness/reciprocity foundations, and they largely reject statements related to ingroup/loyalty, authority/respect, and purity/sanctity. People who call themselves strongly conservative, in contrast, endorse statements related to all five foundations more or less equally. You can test yourself at www.YourMorals.org.

(Although I think of myself as moderately liberal —and fiscally conservative— my results on a quiz at YourMorals pegged me as more liberal than liberals.)


I also found What's the Matter with Kansas? by Thomas Frank, who explores why Kansans seem to vote against their economic interests.