Sublime

In moral and political matters we are often groupish, rather than selfish. We deploy our reasoning skills to support our team, and to demonstrate commitment to our team.

Rather, people care about their groups, whether those be racial, regional, religious, or political. The political scientist Don Kinder summarizes the findings like this: “In matters of public opinion, citizens seem to be asking themselves not ‘What’s in it for me?’ but rather ‘What’s in it for my group?’

Haidt identifies five important moral senses or concerns that he claims run deep in all human societies. They are: 1 Aversion to and protection from harm. 2 Fairness. 3 Loyalty to the group. 4 Respect for authority. 5 Not defiling one’s ‘spiritual purity’.

Five good candidates for being taste receptors of the righteous mind are care, fairness, loyalty, authority, and sanctity.