"An interesting article in The Atlantic talks about studies showing that liberals think in terms of fairness while conservatives think in terms of morality. So if you want to persuade someone on the other team, you need to speak in their language. We almost never do that. That’s why you rarely see people change their opinions...
...If your aim is to persuade, you have to speak the language of the other. Talking about fairness to a conservative, or morality to a liberal, fails at the starting gate. The other side just can’t hear what you are saying."
I'm not sure Scott Adams has really grasped moral foundations theory. It explain the differences in the moral systems used by American liberals and conservatives - it does not claim that liberals lack a sense of morality.
His abortion example strikes me as particularly off-base. Again, it's not that US liberals don't care about morality. Of course liberals think murder is wrong! They just don't consider a fetus to have the moral standing of a human.
Anyway, some direct links regarding moral foundations theory (though I highly recommend Haidt's book, The Righteous Mind):
Excellent article, thank you. Thinking back to a few discussions i've had regarding the current political landscape with 'the opposition', this (albeit oversimplified) method checks out.
Thanks again. Of course Adams has his own political bias but at least he appears to be trying to bridge the gap here.
> liberals think in terms of fairness while conservatives think in terms of morality
i don't think this is a very accurate characterization. for one thing, fairness itself is a moral value. however, i do think liberals and conservatives tend to have different moral systems. in broad strokes, liberals tend to have more of a utilitarian perspective, while conservatives tend to be more deontological.
Jonathon Haidt has actually done some great scientific work on the real differences between liberals and conservatives. This is a shortish version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs41JrnGaxc There's also some more detailed and longer versions if you poke around on YouTube a bit, plus a book you can buy if you're really interested.
I don't think your characterization of either side is particularly accurate. Neither side is utilitarian, and both sides are plenty deontological, just with different rule sets. Both sides are rationalizing deeply-held instinctual beliefs, or the lack thereof.
...If your aim is to persuade, you have to speak the language of the other. Talking about fairness to a conservative, or morality to a liberal, fails at the starting gate. The other side just can’t hear what you are saying."
http://blog.dilbert.com/2017/02/15/how-to-persuade-the-other...