Word count: 1125
Experimental Political Philosophy
The controversy of how people choose their political stance has existed among philosophers for hundreds of years now. Liberalism and conservatism philosophies have been applied in many countries particularly the United States in determining the country’s political institutions and structures. The new experimental philosophy as described by Appiah does not pose a threat to the philosophical analysis. She argues that the ancient philosophers established the philosophy which is being criticized today (Appiah, 13). However, recent exploration of empirical work has shown that psychology affects the philosophies used to determine the correct political orientation of a particular country. Therefore, drawing evidence from several types of research, it is appropriate to conclude that empirical work poses a threat to the philosophical task of determining the justified political institutions.
Reflecting on the moral mind of a person, psychology affects the choices that one makes on political stance. Every person has values, virtues, and morals which are derived from the culture of their community. Morality is the principle that guides people on what is referred to as right or wrong. It directs them to make choices that are acceptable in the community. The norms of a certain community focus on generating inherent inspiration and disciplinary attitudes towards violators (Haidt and Joseph 373). In the same way, people choose their political stance by following the moral mind which determines which ideas are right and beneficial to them. Furthermore, they will support a certain political institution if its ideologies follow what they believe is moral. The findings of certain research showed that many Americans believe that morality is based on the components of harm rights and justice. Therefore, they will tend to support political philosophies which they feel enhances the above features in choosing their political stances.
Moreover, personality psychology is described by the traits and values of an individual related to the political orientation of an individual. People who support liberal ideologies have traits such as open-mindedness, creativity, novelty, and diversity. They are not resistant to new things but rather evaluate its benefits before rejecting it. Conservatives in Western Europe and North America seem to acquire different traits from the liberalist (Jost, Nosek and Gosling 128). They are conventional, orderly and neat. They do not easily accept changes or new ideas since they want to maintain their old beliefs and behaviors. Research showed that liberalist seems to hold positive attitudes to groups such as feminists which bring new ideas to the traditional system. Additionally, they accept policies such as gay unions and universal health care since they are emerging real issues in the community. Nevertheless, the conservatives hold on to ideas of females performing household chores. With this in mind, it is evident that personality psychology influences the philosophical task of determining the correct political structures.
Similarly, the ideas which people believe in were ideologies created by people in the past. What people consider as moral are beliefs and notions of older people in the society which has been passed over to generations. Therefore, these ideas do not justify that certain things are evil or right since it is what they believed. Their arguments have affected the choices that the current people make just because it is the community norms and morals. The stories alter the psychology of modern people and limit them from making their actual own choices (Appiah 18). Making specific judgment requires a great level of specificity which lacks among the public because of the moral development which they embraced from childhood. As a result, the psychological growth on such matters still affects the choices people make on justified political institutions.
As mentioned above, psychology affects the philosophical perspectives of politics among individuals. Therefore, this literature should be incorporated into the Assessment of liberal and conservative political theories in the following ways. First, people should use the moral mind in determining the benefits of a particular philosophy and its satisfaction. Conservatism is generally perceived as a political morality that focuses on creating a political stratification that enhances the nation’s good (Kekes 355). Since the conservatives seek at maintaining the traditions of the society, they are always driven by the community morals and so they maintain what is right. Liberalists, on the other hand, are dynamic and ready for changes and novelties. They evaluate the benefits of these changes before implementing them therefore; they also incorporate the moral mind in their decisions. Although the basis of their perceptions cannot be easily differentiated from social democracy, they seem to plant them on certain societal values. Altogether, people should apply the psychological literature in deciding their political orientation since both theories seem to be founded on certain morals, beliefs, and values.
Second, liberalism and conservative theories should be viewed as distinctive cultures. A culture is a set of secret codes, thoughts, and methods in which the two should be organized. It is historically shaped and socially shared with the members of the community (Nathan 925). In the political environment, society is the state and the culture is the ideas of the political theories. Each culture is distinct from another because of the different beliefs and behaviors. Liberalism and conservatism are different because they hold on to diverse ideologies. This makes them discrete since their ideas satisfy what each of the groups believes in. Applying psychological knowledge in understanding the two theories as a culture will Help people in identifying the correct political philosophy.
Third, people should apply logic in evaluating the ideas of political theories. Liberalism allows liberty of exploring new ideas and their benefits. If the ideas do not satisfy the individuals, they are at freedom to discriminate against them so that they cannot be implemented. Nonetheless, conservatism aims at maintaining what was long believed and practiced by philosophical ancestors. Hence, this approach limits the followers from criticizing the past ideologies which are not beneficial in the present day (Freeden 58). People should compare the ideas of the two theories and relate them to the current world of politics. Due to the evolution of global politics, some of the perspectives may not be applicable. Thus weighing the applicability and benefits of specific notions using the psychological literature will enhance people’s Assessment.
To conclude, liberalism and conservatism have been the major philosophies used to determine the political parties in many countries. Examination of new empirical ideas has shown that psychology literature affects the philosophical work of determining political direction. Morality, personal psychology, and culture are some of the factors which affect people’s Assessment of these ideologies. Psychological knowledge can be applied in analyzing liberalism and conservatism so as to make good choices. The two theories should be evaluated in the context of a culture where the beliefs, values, and morals determine their benefits. Similarly, logic interpretation of the ideas could contribute to a wider understanding of the theories. By doing so, the public will enhance their choices on the political stands they take.
Works Cited
Appiah, Kwame A. “Experimental Philosophy.” Princeton University, 2008, pp. 7-22.
Freeden, Michael. Liberalism: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford UP, USA, 2015.
Haidt, Jonathan, and Craig Joseph. “The Moral Mind How Five Sets of Innate Intuitions Guide the Development of Many Culture-Specific Virtues, and Perhaps Even Modules.” pp. 367-391.
Jost, John T., Nosek, Brian A, and Gosling, Samuel D. “Ideology Its Resurgence in Social, Personality, and Political Psychology.” Association for Psychological science, vol. 3, no. 2, 2008, pp. 126-136.
Kekes, John. “What is Conservatism?” Philosophy, 1997, pp. 351-374.
Nathan, Andrew J. “Is Chinese Culture Distinctive? A Review Article.” The Journal of Asian Studies, vol. 52, no. 4, 1993, pp. 923-936.
