Moral Foundations
Moral Foundations theory helps explain why smart people disagree about ethics, politics, loyalty, rules, identity, and harm.
Loyalty moral lens
Highest signal: Loyalty (100/100). Lowest signal: Liberty (25/100). Average intensity: 71/100.
A decision is morally wrong if it needlessly causes suffering.
Protecting vulnerable people matters more than preserving tradition.
I notice cruelty quickly, even when others call it harmless.
People should be judged by the same rules, even when I like one side more.
Fair process matters even when the outcome is inconvenient.
I get angry when people take more than their share.
Loyalty to a group can be a moral duty.
Betraying your own team is worse than failing a stranger.
Shared identity creates obligations that outsiders do not have.
Stable hierarchy can protect people from chaos.
Respect for legitimate authority is part of being ethical.
Rules deserve respect even when they slow me down.
Some actions feel degrading even when nobody is directly harmed.
Purity, dignity, or sacredness can matter morally.
I react strongly when people treat meaningful symbols as disposable.
Coercion is a moral problem even when it produces order.
People should resist domination by powerful groups.
I notice when rules become tools for control.