The two moralities : conservatives, liberals, and the roots of our political divide Ronnie Janoff-Bulman

The most complete picture to date of the moral worlds of the political left and right and how their different views relate to specific political issues The left and right will always have strong policy disagreements, but constructive debate and negotiation are not possible when each side demonizes the other. We need to move past our poisonous politics. In this book, social psychologist Ronnie Janoff-Bulman provides a new framework for understanding why and how we disagree. Janoff-Bulman asks readers to consider the challenging possibility that both liberalism and conservatism are morally based and reflect genuine concern for the country. Moral psychology is an invaluable lens for understanding the roots of political differences. She presents a “Model of Moral Motives” that maps the most fundamental motivations recognized by psychology—approach and avoidance—onto these differences. Liberal morality focuses on providing for the group’s well-being and ensuring social justice. Conservative morality focuses on protecting the group from threats and preserving order. These moralities can account for the psychological differences between liberals and conservatives and for why certain positions resonate on each side of the political spectrum. Why, for example, do conservatives oppose abortion and favor unfettered free markets while liberals favor a woman’s right to choose and economic regulation? Understanding that our political differences are rooted in two natural forms of morality can help us begin to detoxify our politics. Contents 7 Introduction 9 PART ONE Morality and Collective Concerns 13 1 Two Faces of Morality 13 2 Mapping Morality 33 3 What the Reigning Theory Gets Wrong 52 4 Threat and Coordination Versus Hope and Cooperation 67 5 Reactions to Outsiders: Immigration and the Rural-Urban Divide 89 PART TWO Politics, Parties, and Policies 115 6 Party Politics and Policy Preferences 115 7 What Conservatives Are Protecting 137 8 What Liberals Are Providing 170 9 Social Justice and the Bane of Inequality 194 10 Social Order and Authoritarianism 223 11 Moving Forward 252 Notes 259 References 295 Acknowledgments 343 Index 347