The Independent Whig
Rationalist Delusion
Thesis Part Three – Cognitive Style is a Moral Foundation
Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) seems insufficient to explain everything we see in the social world around us. It does not explain, for example, the stark differences between the liberal left – exemplified by groups like Heterodox Academy and The Village Square – and the illiberal left exemplified by protesters who shout down public speakers, disrupt political rallies, and otherwise attempt to protect themselves … Continue reading
What Went Wrong? Michael Shermer Misses The Obvious
Michael Shermer, author of The Moral Arc: How Science Makes Us Better People, writing in Skeptic Magazine, ponders What Went Wrong? Campus Unrest, Viewpoint Diversity, and Freedom of Speech. Shermer suggests six reasons for the current anti-free speech crusade on college campuses, and makes some recommendations as to how the problem might be solved. I think Shermer is … Continue reading
Religion, Morality, and Ideology: Like Things That Should Be Judged Alike.
Introduction This post is the second half of a two part essay. In part one I argued that religions, moralities, and ideologies are different manifestations of a single underlying element of human nature: our tendency to form into groups of like-minded people and compete with other groups. In this post I continue that argument and make the additional claim that since … Continue reading
I Support Viewpoint Diversity
A politically diverse group of social scientists, natural scientists, humanists, and other scholars who want to improve our academic disciplines and universities. We share a concern about a growing problem: the loss or lack of “viewpoint diversity.” When nearly everyone in a field shares the same political orientation, certain ideas become orthodoxy, dissent is discouraged, and errors can go unchallenged.
Venn Diagram of Liberal and Conservative Traits and Moral Foundations and
The Independent Whig 