The New Synthesis in Moral Psychology, and How it Explains the Culture War
E. O. Wilson's 1975 prophecy of a "new synthesis" in the science of ethics has come true. I'll discuss and illustrate three principles of this interdisciplinary synthesis: 1) Intuitive primacy but not dictatorship (moral intuitions arise quickly and guide later reasoning); 2) Moral thinking is for social doing (moral reasoning is tailored for social needs rather than truth-seeking); and 3) Morality binds and builds (moral capacities such as punishment, gossip, and indirect reciprocity make large cooperative communities possible.) I'll also propose a fourth principle to guide future research: morality is more than harm and fairness. I'll present evidence that there are (at least) five innate psychological foundations upon which cultures construct their moral systems. I'll present evidence that political liberals construct their moral systems on top of just two foundations - harm/care and fairness/reciprocity - while political conservatives use all five foundations, including ingroup/loyalty, authority/respect, and purity/sanctity. If time and courage permit, I might even suggest that conservatives and religious believers understand some important aspects of morality and human flourishing to which liberals and atheists are generally blind.
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