{"id":42996,"date":"2021-07-31T06:25:18","date_gmt":"2021-07-31T10:25:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=42996"},"modified":"2021-08-03T09:07:18","modified_gmt":"2021-08-03T13:07:18","slug":"haidts-moral-foundations-theory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/haidts-moral-foundations-theory\/","title":{"rendered":"Haidt\u2019s Moral Foundations Theory: The 6 Foundations"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is Jonathan Haidt\u2019s Moral Foundations Theory? What does he believe are the six foundations of morality<\/a>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jonathan Haidt\u2019s Moral Foundations Theory puts forth six foundations of morality that we all have, but in different proportions. They are based on how people in various cultures deal with life’s challenges and what they regard as virtues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more to learn about Haidt\u2019s Moral Foundations Theory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The First Five Foundations of Morality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jonathan Haidt\u2019s Moral Foundations Theory is based on his examination of normal social life and the challenges associated with it around the world. He considered how people in different cultures deal with these challenges differently, and what they prioritize as virtues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his research, Haidt found five foundations of morality, or \u201ctaste receptors.\u201d Just as we all have the same five taste receptors but prefer different foods, we all have these same five moral foundations, but in different proportions. The foundations are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Care\/harm<\/strong><\/li>
  2. Fairness\/cheating<\/strong><\/li>
  3. Loyalty\/betrayal<\/strong><\/li>
  4. Authority\/subversion<\/strong><\/li>
  5. Sanctity\/degradation<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Each foundation has an adaptive advantage\u2014in some way, each one helped humans succeed. Each also has triggers that existed generations ago and triggers that exist today. Finally, each foundation is associated with certain emotions and virtues. Find the characteristics of each foundation, or \u201ctaste receptor,\u201d in the table below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Haidt\u2019s Moral Foundations Theory did not include the sixth foundation, Liberty\/oppression<\/strong>, until he discovered it later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    To understand how the foundations work in practice, we\u2019ll use an example of the Care\/harm principle: You take your four-year-old to a hospital to have his appendix removed. You can watch through a glass wall, and you see him lying on the operating table unconscious while the surgeon punctures his abdomen. You might feel both relief knowing the doctor is saving his life and pain watching him get punctured. From Jeremy Bentham\u2019s utilitarian point of view, it would be irrational if you looked away in fear because you know the doctor is not harming your child. But from the point of view of Haidt\u2019s \u201ctaste receptor\u201d theory, it makes sense, because you have an emotional response to watching your child bleed, even though you know rationally the doctor is not committing violence on him. This shows that you are caring and empathetic and that the Care\/harm principle is a powerful \u201ctaste receptor\u201d for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Discovering the Sixth Foundation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Haidt began to conduct experiments and write opinions based on his five principles, he realized that liberals and conservatives understood the second principle, Fairness\/cheating, <\/em>differently. Liberals argued that conservatives don\u2019t care about fairness because they don\u2019t care about equal<\/em> outcomes\u2014for example, they don\u2019t care whether every school district is equally well-funded. However, conservatives also<\/em> argued that liberals don\u2019t care about fairness in this case because they don\u2019t care about proportional <\/em>outcomes\u2014for example, they don\u2019t care that successful people have to pay a lot of their hard-earned money in taxes. Haidt realized that he needed a better definition of fairness, and with it a better definition of equality. This led him to create a sixth taste receptor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Sixth Foundation of Morality<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    The Fairness foundation is rooted in the wish to protect communities <\/em>from cheaters, while the new foundation, Liberty\/oppression, <\/em>is about protecting society<\/em> from cheaters. Fairness\/cheating is about reciprocity, while Liberty\/oppression is about a broader definition of equality. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Haidt\u2019s Moral Foundations Theory states that the Liberty\/oppression foundation rests on human nature. There are wide differences between philosophers\u2019 understanding of basic human nature, but it\u2019s clear that in every \u201cstate of nature,\u201d some humans want to dominate <\/em>others. When humans band together, it\u2019s to protect each other from tyranny and also to select away from the people who would choose to dominate or bully others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The original trigger of the Liberty\/oppression matrix is domination and tyranny. People get angry when they feel controlled, which can lead to a reactance<\/em>\u2014when an authority figure tells you to do something and you become interested in doing the opposite. People band together to stop this domination and can resist or even sometimes kill the oppressor. Biologically, people who couldn\u2019t recognize this kind of oppression coming were less likely to thrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The Liberty foundation exists in some tension with the Authority foundation. We do recognize authority as sometimes legitimate (the Authority foundation), but we\u2019re vigilant about authority and want our authority figures to earn our trust (the Liberty foundation). Read any declaration of independence<\/a> from a colonial state, including America\u2019s, and you\u2019ll see signs of this foundation. It lists oppressive events and enumerates rights that a revolution will secure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Oppression concerns both liberals and conservatives, and they express this concern in unique ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n