Call It intuition: Moral Foundations Theory and Understanding Political and Social Disagreement in a Contentious Society

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Today’s political and social landscape is unarguably contentious. Moreover, the discourse around such topics has devolved into an unproductive pattern of ad hominem attacks and motivated reasoning that prioritizes justifying one’s own positions more than developing an understanding of another’s position. In other words, many individuals are passionately committed to defending their stances on social issues: even more so than understanding or appreciating the positions of others. According to a Pew Research Center survey, nearly half of all Democrats and Republicans in the United States report feeling fear, anger, and frustration regarding individuals in the differing political party (Pew Research Center, 2016). It is arguable that we, as a society and academic community, are witnessing a meaningful breakdown in productive communication and dialogue about a host of economic, civic, and social issues. For instance, one would not have to try very hard to find arguments within social discourse, especially on social media, that frame contrary viewpoints (regardless of topic or one’s own position) as the result of evil, unintelligent, or, at best, ignorant people.