OPINION:
Today, more than ever before, citizens need to understand and be informed about social issues, governance and the many things happening in America. We must especially comprehend the psychology that drives the political left.
There’s a fundamental difference in cognitive thought processes and worldview between liberals and conservatives. This divide has always been and will always be, but it is more divisive in today’s world. Both poles used to argue over “just issues”; now, they argue over ideology, which has driven the divide wider and deeper.
That’s why I draw your attention to some of the research done on the etiology of the left-right political pole and the radical liberal mind. Professor Jonathan Haidt of the New York University Stern School of Business analyzed the relationship of morals to politics and found that humans function through five moral foundations (or moral triggers).
He says liberals reason through predominantly two of these foundations, while conservatives use all five. Functioning with only two moral foundations limits true understanding of community, economy and personal freedom.
He writes, “Morality suppresses selfishness and thus enables social groups to function.” He concludes from his research that all successful civilizations function through all five moral foundations. “Looking at the entire range of human societies, the statistically ‘normal’ human society is built upon all five foundations. It is modern liberalism which requires a special explanation.”
Mr. Haidt also found that conservatives understand liberals better than liberals understand conservatives.
GARY HUKRIEDE
St. Paul, Minnesota
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