David Brooks thinks that red people have a communitarian view of morality, as opposed to the self-autonomy model used by blue people. Since he typically writes with a sociological bent, this is not surprising. Is he right?
He’s close, but not exactly right. The roots of red morality are authority and tradition. Authority, of course, comes primarily from religious scriptures. To the average reactionary, it is self-evidently correct and non-negotiable. Not coincidentally, it is also often self-interested; those in positions of power have every reason to think highly of tradition and authority.
The red views of morality have their historical origins in the medieval world, in which the purpose of political systems was to create a society of which God would approve; the interests of individual people were of no significance in this intellectual world. Blue morality has its roots in the world which came after Catholics and Protestants battered each other relentlessly, but inconclusively. I will discuss its premises and origins in a post tomorrow.