{"id":28207,"date":"2026-07-09T11:12:44","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T18:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/?page_id=28207"},"modified":"2026-09-17T15:54:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T22:54:36","slug":"outline-of-morality","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/musings\/outline-of-morality\/","title":{"rendered":"Outline of Morality"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><span style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span> td { padding: 1px; font-size:11px; } <\/style>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/BerkeleyPier_800x600.jpg\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/BerkeleyPier_800x600.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;m putting Right on the left because I always prefer chronological progressions, in tables, left to right.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Right<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Left<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Republican<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Democratic<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Red<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Blue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Traditional<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Progressive<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Conservative<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Liberal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Tribal<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Metropolitan\/Cosmopolitan<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Small town<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Big city<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Monocultural<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Multi-cultural<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">In-group prioritization (e.g. the Ten Commandments don\u2019t apply to out-groups)<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Out-group acceptance; expansion of the moral circle<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Restricted moral circle<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Expanded moral circle<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Restriction of options<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Expansion of options<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Ideology; assertions<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Conclusions from evidence; science<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Anti-education (or home education) to avoid conflicts with tribal mythology and values<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Education about the reality of the world (e.g. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2021\/11\/30\/l-a-universal-education\/\">here<\/a>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Mythos<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Logos<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Superstition, animism, seeing every disaster as a portent from God<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Acknowledgement of reality, awareness of coincidence, and the randomness of the universe<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Short-term thinking<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Long-term thinking<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Competition<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Cooperation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Personal needs<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">The greater good, in a global world<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Simplicity [Simplex]<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Complexity [Complex; Multiplex]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Black and white thinking<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Understanding shades of gray, and even colors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Zero-sum games, e.g. as when Trump thinks for him to win, everyone else must lose<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Non-zero-sum interactions that have driven human history and progress<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Conformist, to align with traditional values and the tribe; rejecting diversity<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Individualist, in the sense of allowing people to live as they like; encouraging diversity<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Rugged individualist<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Collectivist minded when necessary, to solve big problems the rugged individualists cannot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Backwards<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Forwards<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Prone to conspiracy theories; unaware of how complex the world is<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Acknowledgement of complexity, coincidence, and the implausibility of most conspiracy theories<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">MAGA<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Woke<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">The agricultural revolution: Hunter\/gatherers<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">The agricultural revolution: Farmers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Jonathan Haidt, <b>The Righteous Mind<\/b> [<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2015\/12\/08\/more-notes-and-comments-about-haidts-the-righteous-mind\/\">blog post<\/a>]<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Conservatives are concerned about loyalty vs. betrayal, authority vs. subversion, sanctity vs. degradation<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Progressives are concerned about care vs. harm, fairness vs. cheating, liberty vs. oppression<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Grand Narrative: The struggle to return to a golden past<\/td>\n<td>Grand Narrative: The struggle for equality and happiness<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Lawrence Kohlberg\u2019s <strong>stages of moral development<\/strong> (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lawrence_Kohlberg%27s_stages_of_moral_development\">Wikipedia<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2020\/06\/26\/notes-for-the-book-hierarchy-of-morality\/\">blog post<\/a>):<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Obedience to rules to avoid punishment; conformity to group behavior<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Social contracts; universal ethical principles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Joshua Greene, <b>Moral Tribes<\/b> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2024\/04\/18\/joshua-greene-moral-tribes-post-2\/\">review<\/a>):<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Commonsense (tribal) morality<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Deep pragmatism (utilitarianism)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Tim Urban, <b>What&#8217;s Our Problem?<\/b> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2025\/05\/13\/tim-urban-whats-our-problem-post-1\/\">review<\/a>):<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">The primitive mind is &#8220;a set of coded instructions for how to be a successful animal in the animal\u2019s nature habitat&#8221;<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">The higher mind can think outside itself and self-reflect and become wiser with experience<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Zealot<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Attorney<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Sports fan<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Scientist<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>George Lakoff, <b>The Political Mind<\/b> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2025\/01\/06\/george-lakoff-the-political-mind\/\">review<\/a>):<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Conservatives are concerned about obedience, responsibility, and discipline<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Progressives concerned with empathy, protection, and empowerment<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Carel Van Schaik &amp; Kai Michel, <b>The Good Book of Human Nature: An Evolutionary Reading of the Bible<\/b> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2019\/12\/19\/carel-van-schaik-kai-michel-the-good-book-of-human-nature-an-evolutionary-reading-of-the-bible-2016-introduction\/\">post<\/a>):<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">First nature is our innate feelings, reactions, and preferences that evolved over hundreds of thousands of years as hunter-gatherers.<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Second nature is learned; it varies from culture to culture. These are traditions and customs, religion as a cultural product, and rules of decency, politeness, and good manners.<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Third nature reflects our rational side. These are conscious practices and institutions that enable analysis of a given situation.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Al Franken, <b>Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them<\/b> (2003) (noted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/2026\/07\/21\/uni-context-and-flattening\/\">in this post<\/a>)<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td width=\"319\">Conservatives love America like a four-year-old loves his mommy. To a four-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad.<\/td>\n<td width=\"319\">Liberals love America like grown-ups. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad and helping your loved one grow.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>A point that applies to this entire exercise is that things are not black and white; there are shades of gray, even color, in the way humans deal with reality (while conservatives tend toward black and white, which is so much simpler to deal with).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I&#8217;m putting Right on the left because I always prefer chronological progressions, in tables, left to right. Right Left Republican Democratic Red Blue Traditional Progressive Conservative Liberal Tribal Metropolitan\/Cosmopolitan Small town Big city Monocultural Multi-cultural In-group prioritization (e.g. the Ten &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/musings\/outline-of-morality\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":14077,"menu_order":1,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-28207","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28207","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28207"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28207\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28786,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28207\/revisions\/28786"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markrkelly.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28207"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}