Ideological differences in the expanse of the moral circle

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Paper Summary

Conflicts of Interest

Identified Weaknesses

Rating Explanation

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Paper Summary

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Liberals Love Everyone (Even Aliens!), Conservatives Stick to Family: A Study of Moral Circles

This research, using online surveys and some Mechanical Turk samples, suggests liberals have broader "moral circles," expressing more compassion for larger, less defined groups (like "the world") and even non-humans. Conservatives, conversely, showed stronger concern for smaller, closer groups like family and nation.

Possible Conflicts of Interest

None identified

Identified Weaknesses

Sample Representativeness

The study relies heavily on online samples, including YourMorals.org and Mechanical Turk, which may not be representative of the general population. The samples appear to overrepresent liberals, potentially skewing results. The authors did some supplementary analysis but concerns still remain..

Causality

The study presents a correlation between ideology and moral circle size, but doesn't establish causality. It's unclear whether ideology influences moral circles, or vice-versa, or if other factors are at play.

Forced Choice Methodology

Some studies involved allocating limited "moral points," creating a zero-sum game where prioritizing one group necessitates deprioritizing others. This may not reflect real-world moral decision-making.

Oversimplification of Ideology

The study primarily uses a simple liberal-conservative spectrum, neglecting other ideological nuances (e.g., libertarianism) that might significantly impact moral considerations.

Rating Explanation

While the research presents an interesting exploration of a complex topic, the methodological limitations regarding sampling and causality, along with the somewhat forced-choice nature of some of the studies, prevent a higher rating. The supplementary study on national data slightly strengthens the findings, but core issues remain.

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