Comments on: In Search of Liberal Purity http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/2010/02/in-search-of-liberal-purity/ Moral Psychology Findings and Discussion Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:01:36 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Green Economics that Values Liberalism and Conservatism « Civil Politics Blog http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/2010/02/in-search-of-liberal-purity/comment-page-1/#comment-201 Green Economics that Values Liberalism and Conservatism « Civil Politics Blog Thu, 29 Apr 2010 22:33:02 +0000 http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/?p=34#comment-201 [...] are deluded!”; “this is the great cause of our era!”; “the environment is sacred!”–that are likely far more important for most advocates than a cool calculation of [...] [...] are deluded!”; “this is the great cause of our era!”; “the environment is sacred!”–that are likely far more important for most advocates than a cool calculation of [...]

]]> By: Katharine http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/2010/02/in-search-of-liberal-purity/comment-page-1/#comment-194 Katharine Wed, 28 Apr 2010 13:59:22 +0000 http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/?p=34#comment-194 "Whether anthropogenic global warming is true or false, people defending it tend to argue that we are hurting the earth, and the earth will wrathfully punish us, a spiritual argument very thinly disguised as a scientific argument." Except that it's not a spiritual argument, if you understand climatology. It's just a 'wrathful punishment' because it happens to affect human civilization negatively. “Whether anthropogenic global warming is true or false, people defending it tend to argue that we are hurting the earth, and the earth will wrathfully punish us, a spiritual argument very thinly disguised as a scientific argument.”

Except that it’s not a spiritual argument, if you understand climatology. It’s just a ‘wrathful punishment’ because it happens to affect human civilization negatively.

]]> By: Chang Chebsum http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/2010/02/in-search-of-liberal-purity/comment-page-1/#comment-70 Chang Chebsum Thu, 18 Mar 2010 22:23:50 +0000 http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/?p=34#comment-70 The unseen order of nature includes human nature. The unseen order of nature is innate in all of nature, distributed equally. Human nature can have no balance without the moment-to-moment instinctive comprehension and recognition of the unseen order in all experience. This is the root of complete mental and emotional stability as well as moral and ethical certitude. The unseen order of nature includes human nature. The unseen order of nature is innate in all of nature, distributed equally. Human nature can have no balance without the moment-to-moment instinctive comprehension and recognition of the unseen order in all experience. This is the root of complete mental and emotional stability as well as moral and ethical certitude.

]]> By: James A. Donald http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/2010/02/in-search-of-liberal-purity/comment-page-1/#comment-63 James A. Donald Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:25:38 +0000 http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/?p=34#comment-63 Brian Caplan has a list of questions that you should be asking, and suggests that if you asked them, you would find that liberals have just as much concern for authority (observe the quasi religious worship of the Obamessiah) and sacredness (Whether anthropogenic global warming is true or false, people defending it tend to argue that we are hurting the earth, and the earth will wrathfully punish us, a spiritual argument very thinly disguised as a scientific argument.) Brian Caplan has a list of questions that you should be asking, and suggests that if you asked them, you would find that liberals have just as much concern for authority (observe the quasi religious worship of the Obamessiah) and sacredness (Whether anthropogenic global warming is true or false, people defending it tend to argue that we are hurting the earth, and the earth will wrathfully punish us, a spiritual argument very thinly disguised as a scientific argument.)

]]> By: Asymptosis » Just to Be Really Clear: Why I Hate Avatar http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/2010/02/in-search-of-liberal-purity/comment-page-1/#comment-52 Asymptosis » Just to Be Really Clear: Why I Hate Avatar Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:20:02 +0000 http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/?p=34#comment-52 [...] Jonathan Haidt asks on his blog: [...] [...] Jonathan Haidt asks on his blog: [...]

]]> By: Steve Roth http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/2010/02/in-search-of-liberal-purity/comment-page-1/#comment-51 Steve Roth Sun, 14 Mar 2010 17:53:24 +0000 http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/?p=34#comment-51 "Can anyone understand Avatar who lacks all intuitions of purity/sanctity?" Yes. I (devoted liberal and conservationist with a LibPur score of 1.0) understand it as a brilliantly Machiavellian vehicle to extract cash from those souls who embrace that intuition. “Can anyone understand Avatar who lacks all intuitions of purity/sanctity?”

Yes. I (devoted liberal and conservationist with a LibPur score of 1.0) understand it as a brilliantly Machiavellian vehicle to extract cash from those souls who embrace that intuition.

]]> By: Ravi http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/2010/02/in-search-of-liberal-purity/comment-page-1/#comment-2 Ravi Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:42:07 +0000 http://www.yourmorals.org/blog/?p=34#comment-2 My personal opinion is that much liberal purity arises out of empathy and/or motivated reasoning rather than out of spirituality. We empathize not just with polar bears and owls, but even with trees and plants. We empathize with how animals are killed in producing meat or how they are raised. Empathy often ends up being in opposition to productivity concerns (e.g. my quals paper) and so if you are on that side of things, you're naturally going to form a more cohesive worldview that includes a motivated opinion that corporations are bad and the problem with the world is over-production. Personally, I think that's a tactical error for liberals as there is not a perfect correlation between production and harming the environment. Which is not to say that spirituality doesn't play a part...but I would say that it is a separate dimension that can can be perhaps co-opted in favor of other emotions. People use religion to justify a lot of things, both liberal and conservative. I'm not sure if spirituality by itself can be made either liberal or conservative...though I can see the connection between feeling like one is a part of something bigger and connecting to nature. My personal opinion is that much liberal purity arises out of empathy and/or motivated reasoning rather than out of spirituality. We empathize not just with polar bears and owls, but even with trees and plants. We empathize with how animals are killed in producing meat or how they are raised.

Empathy often ends up being in opposition to productivity concerns (e.g. my quals paper) and so if you are on that side of things, you’re naturally going to form a more cohesive worldview that includes a motivated opinion that corporations are bad and the problem with the world is over-production. Personally, I think that’s a tactical error for liberals as there is not a perfect correlation between production and harming the environment.

Which is not to say that spirituality doesn’t play a part…but I would say that it is a separate dimension that can can be perhaps co-opted in favor of other emotions. People use religion to justify a lot of things, both liberal and conservative. I’m not sure if spirituality by itself can be made either liberal or conservative…though I can see the connection between feeling like one is a part of something bigger and connecting to nature.

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