Will Wilkinson & Jonathan Haidt: Free Will: Happiness and the Foundations of Morality

A cool discussion from Blogging Heads TV.

This synopsis of the discussion is from BPS Research:

Bloggingheads.tv have filmed another illuminating psychology-related discussion (see player below), this time featuring moral psychologist Jonathan Haidt and libertarian political analyst Will Wilkinson.

Haidt believes that our moral response to a situation is akin to an aesthetic reaction - it happens in the blink of an eye, and it's only after the gut reaction that we attempt to rationalise our feelings.

Underlying our moral responses are five foundations, which are calibrated at different levels depending on our cultural background. The first two, Harm/Care and and Fairness/Reciprocity, are universal, tend to correlate with each other, and are especially valued by liberals. The remaining three also tend to correlate with each other, but are less universal, tending to be valued more by conservative types. These are Ingroup loyalty, Authority/Respect and Purity/Sanctity.

This passage essentially presents a stage model of morality, which is cool. Read the rest of this recap, or just watch the video below.

Tags: Will Wilkinson, Jonathan Haidt, Free Will, Happiness, Foundations of Morality, psychology, philosophy, Blogging Heads TV, BPS Research