Modern Morality: Understanding Secular Purity in Moral Foundations Theory

Authors

Sarah Curry, Brigham Young University
Dr. Christopher Karpowitz, Brigham Young University

Keywords

modern morality, moral foundations theory, dimensions

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Political Science

Abstract

Political psychologists Jonathan Haidt, Jesse Graham, and Brian Nosek argue in their influential study that morality is not a “one-dimensional spectrum” with individuals being moral or amoral.¹ Rather, moral foundations theory allows people to be explained across five dimensions: harm/care, fairness/reciprocity, ingroup/loyalty, authority/respect, and purity/sanctity. Individuals place varying emphasis across the five dimensions, which they use in making judgements about a situation’s morality. Graham et al. find compelling evidence that conservatives and liberals have different approaches to life and politics due to varying moral foundations. Conservatives usually place equal emphasis across the five dimensions., while liberals tend to value the “individualizing” dimensions of harm/care and fairness/reciprocity more than the other three “binding” dimensions.

Recommended Citation

Curry, Sarah and Karpowitz, Dr. Christopher (2018) "Modern Morality: Understanding Secular Purity in Moral Foundations Theory," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2018: Iss. 1, Article 57.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2018/iss1/57