What is Moral Extremism and Why Should We Care About It?

In my new article in the Journal of Applied Philosophy, I give an account of moral extremism as a vice. Roughly, a person is an extremist just ... Home About Authorship PandemicPhilosophy Categories Academia Animals Children Climate Democracy Distribution Duties Economics Education Gender Governance Health International Liberty MediaPhilosophy Migration Moralvalues Punishment Rights War Work OldBlog Archive Contact Home About Authorship PandemicPhilosophy Categories Academia Animals Children Climate Democracy Distribution Duties Economics Education Gender Governance Health International Liberty MediaPhilosophy Migration Moralvalues Punishment Rights War Work OldBlog Archive Contact WhatisMoralExtremismandWhyShouldWeCareAboutIt? ByJournalofAppliedPhilosophy On17December,2020 InMoralvalues Inthispost,SpencerCasediscusses theirrecent articlein JournalofAppliedPhilosophy ontheproblemofmoralextremism. Somereformershaveembracedthelabel“extremist”asabadgeofcourage.In1964,Republican presidentialhopefulBarryGoldwaterfamouslysaid:“Iwouldremindyouthatextremisminthedefenseoflibertyisnovice.Andletmeremindyoualsothatmoderationinthepursuitofjusticeisnovirtue.”Thegrainoftruthhereisthatsomereasonableviewsarelabeled“extreme”forbeingoutsideofmainstreamopinion.Nevertheless,Ithinkthatgenuinemoralextremismreallyisabadthing.InmynewarticleintheJournalofAppliedPhilosophy,Igiveanaccountofmoralextremismasavice.Roughly,apersonisanextremistjustincaseanintensemoralconvictionblindshertocompetingmoralconsiderations,orelsemakesherunwillingtoqualifyherbeliefswhensheshould.PaceGoldwater,it’splausiblethatintensedevotiontojustice–asfalliblehumansunderstandit–mightcauseustomissnuances,ortodemonizepeoplewhodisagreewithus. Beingamoralextremistdoesn’tboildowntohavingbadlymistakenmoralviews.Onthisaccount,agenuineanimalrightsextremist–asopposedtosomeonewho’scalledthatsimplybecausehe’sconcernedaboutanimalwelfare–couldbeadvocatingforagoodcause.However,ifweknewheisanextremist,thenwe’dhavegoodreasontodoubthisjudgmentincertaindomains(e.g.,inevaluatinganarticlethatconcludesthatstrictveganismposeshealthriskstoacertainportionofthepopulation).Tobeclear,thoughthebestreasontobeinterestedinmoralextremismisn’tthehopethatidentifyinginstancesofitcanhelpusdiscovertruemoralpositions(oravoidfalseones).Extremismisphilosophicallyinterestinginitsownright;beyondthis,understandingextremismcanalertustoaninsidiousaspectofmoralpsychology:excessivedevotiontomoralityismorallydangerous.Thislastpointhasunsettlingpoliticalramifications,someofwhichIspelloutinthearticle. Theexcessesoftheanti-alcoholTemperanceMovementintheU.S.provideagoodillustration.Intheearlytwentiethcentury,anti-alcoholcrusaderCarryNationgainednotorietyforattackingKansassaloonswithrocks,bricksandthreehatchetsaffectionatelynamed“Faith,”“Hope”and“Charity.”WhenalcoholprohibitionwaswrittenintotheU.S.Constitutionbythe18thAmendment(1920–33),theU.S.governmentrequiredthatpoisonous“denaturants”likeformaldehyde,iodine,andsulphuricacidbeaddedtoalcoholproducedforindustrialpurposesinordertodeterpeoplefromdrinkingit,orsellingittoothersforconsumption.Thisresultedinthousandsofdeaths.SomesupportersofProhibitionremainedunmoved.AfterreceivingthenewsthatseveralNewYorkershaddiedandhundredshadbeensickenedbypoisonedalcohol,WayneWheeler,defactoleaderoftheAnti-SaloonLeague,said:“Thegovernmentisundernoobligationtofurnishthepeoplewithalcoholthatisdrinkable,whentheConstitutionprohibitsit….Thepersonwhodrinksthisalcoholisadeliberatesuicide.”A1927editorialintheChicagoTribuneonthepoisoningincidentssays:“Normally,noAmericangovernmentwouldengageinsuchbusiness.…ItisonlyinthecuriousfanaticismofProhibitionthatanymeans,howeverbarbarous,areconsideredjustified.” It’simportanttobearinmindthatopponentsofalcoholconsumptionwerenomerehatersofmerriment.Nation’sfirsthusbanddiedofalcohol-relatedcausesat29.ThroughherinvolvementwiththeTemperanceMovement,Nationcameintocontactwithwomenwhosealcoholichusbandsbecamewastrels,orabusive,atatimewhenthestateofferedfarlessprotectiontowomenandchildren.Saloonswereassociatedwithgambling,whichcouldbefinanciallyruinous,andextramaritalsex,throughwhichmencouldspreadincurablediseasestotheirwives.Nationwasmotivatedbysincereconcernaboutthesesocialproblems.It’salsounlikelythatWheelerwantedanyonetodiefromdrinkingpoisonedalcohol;hewantedthesufferingthatalcoholcausedtoend.It’sthusplausiblethattheintensityofNation’sandWheeler’sconvictionsinthejusticeoftheircausepreventedthemfrombeingabletoperceive,orappropriatelyweigh,competingmoralconsiderations. Understandingmoralextremismcanhelpusunderstandtotalitarianatrocitiesinanewlight.OnedominantnarrativeaboutNaziatrocities,whichgainssupportfromHannahArendt’sbookEichmanninJerusalemandStanleyMilgram’snotoriousobedienceexperiments,emphasizestheroleofpedestrianmotivesandordinarybiasesbehindseeminglyinhumanevil.Thisnarrativeis,however,incomplete.Itwouldbeamistaketooverlookthecomplementaryroleofideologyandextremisminproducingtheseoutcomes.Ordinarycitizensdon’tbecomecogsinmachinesuntilpeopleliketheBolsheviksandtheearlyNazis,whoweretruebelieversintheirrespectiveideologies,establishthosemachinesinthefirstplace.Althoughmanyevildoersseem“banal”–Arendt’sfamousdescriptionofNaziwarcriminalAdolfEichmann–othersarearrogantandfullofzeal.Therhetoricthatsuchpeopleemployisoftenfanaticallymoral.Thissurelyincludessomerationalizationofuglyulteriormotives,butIthinkalotofitsincerelyreflectsadherencetoextremelymisguided,thoughstillrecognizablymoral,ideals. IendbycontrastingtwoAmericanopponentsofslavery:JohnBrownandJohnQuincyAdams.Brown,whoisbestknownfortheraidonHarpersFerryintendedtosparkamassiveslaverebellion,wascertainlyaradical.Iarguethathewasalsoprobablyanextremist(hisinvolvementinthePotawatomieMassacreinparticularsuggestsfanaticism).Adamswasfarmoreconservative.HeavoidedBrown’sextremism,buthaddifficultyachievingepistemicandemotionalconsistencyontheissueofslavery.Onwhichsideisitbettertoerr,then?Idon’tanswerthisquestion,butIthinkwecanunderstandthecomplexityofhumanmoralpsychologybyreflectingonit.Ispeculatethatit’sbetterforasocietytohavebothkindsofimperfectpeoplethantoomanyofeithertype.Adams’sconservatismisabulwarkagainstextremismandcanaidwithincrementalprogress.Ontheotherhand,perhapsasocietysometimesneedsamoralmadmanlikeJohnBrowntoreawakenitsmoralsensibilities. JournalofAppliedPhilosophy TheJournalofAppliedPhilosophyisauniqueforumforphilosophicalresearchthatseekstomakeaconstructivecontributiontoproblemsofpracticalconcern.Opentotheexpressionofdiverseviewpoints,itbringstheidentification,justification,anddiscussionofvaluestobearonabroadspectrumofissuesinenvironment,medicine,science,policy,law,politics,economicsandeducation.Thejournalpublishesinallareasofappliedphilosophy,andpostsaccessiblesummariesofitsrecentarticlesonJusticeEverywhere.   SharethispostonsocialmediaFacebookTwitter Previous FromArmchairtoEngagedPhilosophy Next ShouldUberBecomeaWorkerCooperative? 2Comments AddComment→ LinAtnip Greatarticle!Itseemslikeacommonversionofmoralextremismis“one-issuemorality.” 20December,2020 Reply NathanMNobis Thankyoufortheseinsights,Dr.Case!Theyinspiredtheseapplicationsinthisblogpost: https://www.abortionarguments.com/2020/12/moral-extremism-and-abortion-on-pro.html MoralExtremismandAbortion:OnPro-Choice“Extremists” Thereare“extremists”aboutmanyissues:big,importantissuesandevensmall,trivialissues. Aboutabortion,the“extremists”mostofusarefamiliarwithare“pro-lifeextremists”whohavesometimesused,orencourage,lethalviolenceagainstabortionproviders.Andthereare,ofcourse,manylessextremeanti-abortionextremists. Buttherearepro-choiceextremistsalso.Knowingwhattheirextremismislike,andwhyit’saproblem,wouldbegoodtoknowabout.Thisshortpostexplainstheissuesandofferssomesuggestionsforhowtoaddresstheirextremism. 1. Thecommonrhetoricof“extremism”isthatit’sbadtobeanextremist,andthatseemscorrect:atleastsometimesit’sbadtobeanextremist. PhilosopherSpencerCasehasarecentblogpost“WhatisMoralExtremismandWhyShouldWeCareAboutIt?”HispostgivesanoverviewofhisrecentacademicarticleonmoralextremismfromtheJournalofAppliedPhilosophy. So,whatisanextremist,accordingtoCase? “Roughly,apersonisanextremistjustincaseanintensemoralconvictionblindshertocompetingmoralconsiderations,orelsemakesherunwillingtoqualifyherbeliefswhensheshould”(emphasisadded). Casedoesn’tdiscussabortionintheblogpost,but,givenhisdefinition,itseemsclearthatsomepro-choicepeopleareextremistsaboutabortion. Why’sthat?Becausesomeofthemnot-infrequentlysaythingslikethis: “Weshouldn’thavetodiscussthisissue.” “Abortionisn’tupfordebate.” “Anti-abortionpeople,especiallymen,wanttocontrolwomenwiththisissue.” “There’snowaytochangethemindsofpeoplewhoopposeabortion.” “Everypossibleabortionmustbelegal,andnoabortioncouldeverbewrong.” Theseareallthingsthatpeoplewouldsaywhen,asCaseputsit,“intensemoralconvictionblinds[them]tocompetingmoralconsiderations.” 2. Soclaims1and2suggestthatthepersonthinksthatthere’sjustnothingsemi-plausibletosayagainstabortionsandsoimmediate,completedismissalofanyobjection,andevenquestions,isappropriate. Now,whileIarguethatabortionsareusuallypermissibleandshouldbelegal,Idonotthinkthatmanyoftheconsiderationsandconcernsraisedagainstabortionarejustabsurdorridiculous,aspro-choiceextremistsseemtothink.Ithinkthattheconcernsofabortioncriticsareusuallybasedonmisunderstandingtheissues,misinformation,andagenerallyinadequateunderstandingofhowmoralargumentswork(whichisnotsurprising,since[unfortunately!]mostpeoplearenotveryinterestedinlearninghowtobetterthinkaboutcomplexphilosophy,ethicalandscientificissues.)Also,thisisanissuethatpeopleareespeciallyinclinedto“makeuptheirmind”on—forinitiallyadequatereasons—andthenseekoutrationalizationsofthosebeliefs. Thisoutlook,however,isnotthatweshouldnotdiscussordebatetheissues:it’sthatweshould,sinceifwedothisingoodwill,wemightcometobetterunderstandeachotherandourmindsandheartsmightchange,forthebetter:wewilllearnthatatleastsomeofourargumentsarebad,andwemightfindsomegoodarguments,andwemightrecognizethisandchangeourviews.Foranyonewhohasnevertriedthis,theymightnotknowthatthisispossible;and,ofcourse,somepeoplemighttrythiswithoutmuchinsightintohowtodothismoreproductivelyandeffectivelyandsocometothinkthatpositiveoutcomesareimpossibletoveryunlikely.Sothattakesustosaying4aboveandthefalse,inadequatelysupportedgeneralassumptionthatmindscan’tbechangedontheissues:theycan,andtheyoftenare,andpeoplecanlearnhowtobetterdothat. Saying3suggestssomethinglikeaconspiracybymentocontrolwomenonthisissue.Soitassumesthatitjustcouldn’tbethatpeopleatleastbelieve(evenmistakenlyorfalsely)theyhaveagoodreasontoopposeabortion.(Also,whywouldmenseektocontrolwomenonthisissuebutnotmanyothers?).Again,intensemoralconvictionblindspeopletopotentialcompetingmoralconsiderations.Italsoseemstoblindpeopletojustthebasicfactsthatmanywomenopposeabortion(andmanymenarepro-choice!),anobservationthatissometimesmetwiththechargethatthesewomenarebrainwashedagainsttheirowninterests(whichappearstobedisrespectfultothesewomen:theymightbemistaken,butsurelytheycangenuinelythinkforthemselves).Again,anotherpossibilityisjustthatthesewomenbelievetheyhavegoodreasonstothinkabortioniswrong,whichthepro-choiceextremistdismisses,withoutreasonorengagement. Finally,saying5suggeststhatno“compromise”iseverwarrantedontheseissues:abortioniseitheralwaysOKornot;there’snothingever“grey”aboutanyofit.Ofcourse,“politically”thereareconcernsthatifyougiveinonearea,you’llwindupgivingawayeverything.But,isn’titjusttruethatverylateabortions,iftheyweretoaffectafetusthatcanfeelpain,wouldraisesomeseriousmoralconcerns?Causingpainisbadforanyone(oranything)whocanfeelpain,sothatwouldmakelaterabortionspotentiallytroubling(whichisn’ttosaythatorwhentheywouldbewrongornot;ifpainiscaused,thatpaincouldbejustifiedbyotherconcerns:acknowledgingaseriousconcerndoesn’tmeanittrumpseverything).Butpro-choiceextremistsoftendismissfetalpainasnotevenpotentiallymorallyrelevant,justasextremistsagainstabortiondismisseverythingsaidindefenseofevenveryearlyabortions.Bothformsofunwillingnessto“compromise”orconcedethatthe“otherside”hasapotentiallygoodcaseareproblematic:botharedogmaticandunresponsivetothefactsandmoralarguments. 3. Sowhyisextremismproblematic? Ultimately,becauseextremistsrefusetoengageingivingreasonsandseekingproductivediscussionsonimportantissueswhentheissuesarecomplexandsothereareplausibleconcernsoncontrarysidesoftheissues. Extremisminthissenseisalwaysaproblem,andatleastinthecaseofmanypro-choicepeople,extremismisoftencontrarytotheirvalues—forscience,forscientificthinking(andsystematicthinkingaboutethicalissuesispartofthat),fordiversity,forrespectfuldialogue. Forthesereasons,andtobetterseekpro-choicegoals,pro-choiceextremismshouldberecognizedandreformedintopositiveandproductiveformsofengagement,communication,andeducation. P.S.Anotherquestioniswhenandwhetherpeopleareblameworthyfortheirextremism.It’spossiblethatsomepeoplearenotblameworthyforbeingextremists:e.g.,perhapsthey’vehadtraumaticexperienceswithanissuethatpreventsthemfrombeinganythingotherthanextremists.Ifso,perhapsthesepeopleshouldnotbeinvolvedin(much,orcertaintypesof)publicengagementontheissues.Also,ifsomepeopleareevenblamelesslyextremistdoesn’tmeanthatextremismisevergoodorpartofanoveralleffectivestrategyformakingorkeepingsocialchange. 20December,2020 Reply LeaveaReplyCancelreply Comment* Name* Email* Website Notifymeoffollow-upcommentsbyemail.Notifymeofnewpostsbyemail. Aboutus Thisblogexploresissuesofjustice,morality,andethicsinallareasofpublic,political,social,economic,andpersonallife.ItisrunbyacooperativeofpoliticaltheoristsandphilosophersandincollaborationwiththeJournalofAppliedPhilosophy. SocialMediaFacebookTwitterSubscribeviaemail EnteryouremailaddresstosubscribetoJusticeEverywhereandreceivenotificationsofnewpostsbyemail. 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