Moral Politics

1. Mark Carl Rom

2. Moral Politics • What is the ‘worldview problem’ in American politics? • What are the elements of ‘strict father’ morality? • What are the elements of ‘nurturant parent’ morality? Mark Carl Rom

3. Moral Politics • What is moral behavior? • For strict fathers • For nurturant parents • Who are model citizens? Demons? Mark Carl Rom

4. Moral Politics • What does Moral Politics have to say about the ‘hard issues’? • Social programs and taxes • Crime, gun control, and the death penalty • Regulation and the environment • The ‘culture wars’ • Affirmative action • Same-sex marriage • Abortion • Marijuana • How are liberal and conservative views internally consistent? Mark Carl Rom

5. What is the ‘worldview problem’ in American politics? • Liberals and conservatives have contradictory interpretations of reality • These interpretations are moral and involve differing sets of moral priorities • These worldviews explain clusters of political opinions. Mark Carl Rom

6. What are the elements of ‘strict father’ morality? • The world is divided into good and evil. • To remain good, one must be morally strong • One becomes morally strong through self-discipline and self-denial • Someone who is morally weak will eventually commit evil • Moral weakness is immorality Mark Carl Rom

7. What are the elements of ‘strict father’ morality? • Moral authority is parental authority • An authority figures is a parent • A person subject to authority is a child • Moral behavior by the subject is obedience • Moral behavior by authority is setting and enforcing standards Mark Carl Rom

8. What are the elements of ‘nurturant parent’ morality? • Morality is empathy • Moral agents are nurturing parents • People needing help are children needing nurturance • Moral action is nurturance. Mark Carl Rom

9. What is moral behavior? For Strict Parents… • Promoting strict father morality • Promoting self-discipline, responsibility and self reliance; • Upholding the morality of reward and punishment • Preventing interference with the pursuit of self-interest by self-disciplined, self-reliant people • Promoting punishment as a means of upholding authority • Insuring punishment for lack of self-discipline • Protecting the moral order from external evils; • Upholding the moral order Mark Carl Rom

10. What is moral behavior? For Nurturant Parents… • Empathetic behavior and promoting fairness • Helping those who cannot help themselves • Protecting those who cannot protect themselves • Promoting fulfillment in life • Nurturing and strengthening oneself in order to do the above. Mark Carl Rom

11. Who are model citizens? Demons? • For Strict Fathers… • Those who have conservative values and act to support them; • Those who are self-disciplined and self-reliant; • Those who uphold the morality of reward and punishment • Those who work to protect moral citizens • Those who act in support of the moral order. Mark Carl Rom

12. Who are model citizens? Demons? • For Nurturant Parents… • Those who are empathetic • Those who help the disadvantaged • Those who protect those who need protection • Those who promote and exemplify fulfillment in life • Those who take care of themselves to make these possible. Mark Carl Rom

13. What does moral politics have to say about the ‘hard issues’? • Social programs and taxes • Crime, gun control, and the death penalty • Regulation and the environment • The culture wars • Affirmative action • Same-sex marriage • Abortion • Marijuana Mark Carl Rom

14. How are liberal and conservative views internally consistent? • Why do conservatives support a strong defense, low taxes, ‘traditional’ values, capital punishment, and oppose abortion, business regulation, and environmental controls? • Why do liberals have the opposite views? Mark Carl Rom