Moral Tribes

1. Morality evolved as a solution to cooperation problems

Morality is a set of psychological adaptations that allow otherwise selfish individuals to reap the benefits of cooperation.

Evolution of morality. Our moral instincts evolved to solve the "Tragedy of the Commons" - the conflict between individual and collective interests. These adaptations include emotions like empathy, guilt, and righteous indignation that motivate cooperation within groups. However, they also led to tribalism and between-group conflicts.

Modern moral challenges. While our moral instincts work well for simple Me vs. Us dilemmas, they struggle with complex Us vs. Them conflicts in the modern world. This "Tragedy of Commonsense Morality" arises because:

• Different tribes have incompatible moral values
• We're biased towards our in-group
• Our intuitions can be inflexible and irrational

2. Our moral brains have dual-process systems: automatic and manual

The moral brain's automatic settings are the moral emotions we'll meet in part 1, the gut-level instincts that enable cooperation within personal relationships and small groups. Manual mode, in contrast, is a general capacity for practical reasoning that can be used to solve moral problems, as well as other practical problems.

Automatic settings. Our moral intuitions are like a camera's automatic mode - efficient but inflexible. They include:

• Empathy and care for others
• Anger at cheaters and free-riders
• Loyalty to in-group members
• Disgust at potential contaminants

Manual mode. Our capacity for moral reasoning is like a camera's manual mode - flexible but effortful. It allows us to:

• Consider long-term consequences
• Apply abstract principles
• Make trade-offs between competing values
• Override emotional impulses when necessary

3. Utilitarianism offers a common moral currency for resolving conflicts

Utilitarianism combines the Golden Rule's impartiality with the common currency of human experience. This yields a moral system that can acknowledge moral trade-offs and adjudicate among them, and it can do so in a way that makes sense to members of all tribes.

Universal accessibility. Utilitarianism is based on two ideas that all humans can understand:

1. What ultimately matters is the quality of conscious experience (happiness and suffering)
2. Everyone's experience counts equally

Impartial decision-making. By focusing on overall welfare, utilitarianism provides a way to make difficult trade-offs between competing values and interests. This makes it uniquely suited as a "metamorality" for resolving conflicts between different moral tribes.

Common ground. While not everyone will fully embrace utilitarianism, most people can "get" its core ideas when pressed. This provides a shared language for moral debate across cultural divides.

4. Moral intuitions can be unreliable in complex modern dilemmas

Our moral alarm systems think that the difference between pushing and hitting a switch is of great moral significance. More important, our moral alarm systems see no difference between self-serving murder and saving a million lives at the cost of one.

Evolutionary mismatch. Our moral intuitions evolved for small-scale societies and simple dilemmas. They can misfire in novel situations, like:

• The trolley problem (switch vs. footbridge)
• Organ donation dilemmas
• Global poverty and effective altruism

Cognitive biases. Research shows our moral judgments are influenced by morally irrelevant factors:

• Physical distance to those affected
• Whether harm is caused actively or passively
• Whether victims are identifiable individuals or "statistical lives"

Need for reflection. We shouldn't blindly trust our gut reactions in unfamiliar moral territory. Instead, we must engage in careful moral reasoning, considering consequences and impartial principles.

5. Deep pragmatism: Shift to manual mode thinking for controversial issues

The key to using our moral brains wisely is to match the right kind of thinking with the right kind of problem.

Trust intuitions for simple dilemmas. For everyday Me vs. Us problems (lying, cheating, stealing), our moral emotions generally serve us well. We should follow our conscience in these situations.

Shift to manual mode for controversies. When facing Us vs. Them conflicts where tribes disagree, we need to:

1. Recognize we're dealing with a complex issue
2. Set aside gut reactions and tribal loyalties
3. Engage in impartial, consequentialist reasoning
4. Seek common ground based on shared values

Deliberate practice. Developing this "deep pragmatist" approach takes effort. We must train ourselves to notice moral controversy and resist the urge to immediately defend our tribe's position.

6. Maximizing happiness doesn't lead to oppression in the real world

If you think that oppression can maximize happiness in the real world, you're almost certainly imagining the wrong thing. You're imagining oppression that maximizes wealth, not happiness.

Utility vs. wealth. Critics argue utilitarianism could justify oppression if it increased overall happiness. This stems from confusing utility (well-being) with wealth. In reality:

• Oppression causes immense suffering
• Gains to oppressors are vastly outweighed by losses to the oppressed
• Wealth has diminishing returns to happiness

Real-world utilitarianism. A society aiming to maximize happiness would likely feature:

• Strong protections for individual rights and freedoms
• A social safety net to prevent extreme poverty
• Policies to reduce inequality (but not eliminate it entirely)
• Democratic institutions to prevent abuse of power

Accommodating human nature. Utilitarianism recognizes we're not perfectly impartial beings. It allows for special obligations to family and friends, while still pushing us to expand our circle of moral concern.

7. Acknowledging our ignorance can moderate extreme views

People, after being forced to explain the mechanics of these policies, downgraded their estimates of their own understanding and became more moderate in their opinions.

Illusion of understanding. We often think we understand complex issues better than we actually do. This false confidence can fuel polarization and extremism.

Benefits of epistemic humility:

• Moderates extreme positions
• Increases openness to other perspectives
• Promotes more nuanced, reality-based views
• Encourages seeking expert knowledge

Practical application. When discussing controversial issues:

1. Try to explain in detail how a policy or system actually works
2. Notice gaps in your understanding
3. Adjust confidence levels accordingly
4. Be more open to compromise and expert opinion

8. Utilitarianism accommodates personal relationships while pushing for reform

If it seems absurd to ask real humans to abandon their families, friends, and other passions for the betterment of anonymous strangers, then that can't be what utilitarianism actually asks of real humans.

Balancing ideals and reality. Utilitarianism recognizes human limitations while still providing moral guidance:

• It doesn't demand we become "happiness pumps" neglecting all personal concerns
• It does push us to expand our circle of moral concern beyond our immediate tribe
• It asks us to critically examine our spending and prioritize more effective ways of helping others

Gradual moral progress. Rather than demanding radical sacrifices, utilitarianism encourages:

• Donating a meaningful portion of income to effective charities
• Making career choices that have a positive impact on the world
• Supporting policies that benefit the global poor and future generations
• Reducing meat consumption to decrease animal suffering

Aspiring to be better. While we can't be perfect utilitarians, we can strive to be "less hypocritical" by acknowledging our moral limitations and working to gradually overcome them.

Last updated: October 17, 2024