Testing Your Moral Sense

I've been blogging now and again about an innate moral sense, made up of "five colors:" do no harm, fairness, community, authority, and purity.

In an op-ed piece in today's New York Times Nicholas Kristof highlights the differences between conservatives and liberals in terms of which of these intuitions (colors) are emphasized by the respective groups. The conventional wisdom is that conservatives give each of the five moral intuitions similar emphasis, while liberals emphasize do no harm and fairness.

In my estimation, if you want to verify this innate moral sense, take an Internet quiz at www.yourmorals.org.

Barack Obama's Bully Pulpit

Much was made of President Obama's remarks regarding abortion at Sunday's commencement address to Notre Dame graduates.

But he also used the occasion to summarize his position on the role of faith in the public arena and in one's private affairs. (Previous posts on this blog have followed him in addressing such issues of faith. Below, from yesterday's speech, in bold type, are his consistent points, )

"In this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you've been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey. Stand as a lighthouse.

"But remember too that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt. It is the belief in things not seen. It is beyond our capacity as human beings to know with certainty what God has planned for us or what He asks of us, and those of us who believe must trust that His wisdom is greater than our own.

"This doubt should not push us away from our faith. But it should humble us. It should temper our passions, and cause us to be wary of self-righteousness. It should compel us to remain open, and curious, and eager to continue the moral and spiritual debate that began for so many of you within the walls of Notre Dame. And within our vast democracy, this doubt should remind us to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles, and most of all through an abiding example of good works, charity, kindness, and service that moves hearts and minds.

"For if there is one law that we can be most certain of, it is the law that binds people of all faiths and no faith together. It is no coincidence that it exists in Christianity and Judaism; in Islam and Hinduism; in Buddhism and humanism. It is, of course, the Golden Rule - the call to treat one another as we wish to be treated. The call to love. To serve. To do what we can to make a difference in the lives of those with whom we share the same brief moment on this Earth."

In my estimation Mr. Obama continues to present, from his bully pulpit as President, a powerful call to faith--not so much the particulars as an approach. He has, without abandoning the heart of faith rooted in traditional religion, assumed higher ground where tolerance blends into universal values and where reasonable doubt transforms into humility. He is the voice of a liberal and pluralistic religious way in a secular society.

Holier Than Thou

An article in today's NY Times "Science Times" looks at the "self inflating bias" that distorts our actual behavior, especially regarding moral and ethical actions. In a nutshell, we see our own behavior as more virtuous than it really is.

Religion can temper this "self inflating bias" by stressing humility. And then religion can lead to heightened self-righteousness and implicit hypocrisy.

In my estimation anyone who cares about her/his chararacter, who seeks to live a moral life, should reflect on the common phenomenon that cuts two ways: underestimating the moral behavior of others and overestimating one's own behavior