Counterpoint with Amanda Vanstone - ABC Radio National
Interview - September 5, 2022
Then, (at 14 mins) is there difference between conservatism and liberalism or are they really two sides of the same coin? Stephen Martin Fritz, author of Our Human Herds: The Theory of Dual Morality, argues that that they 'are merely the terms given to the political manifestations of a larger moral divide, which we express in all areas of life'. He says that 'how we determine what is right and what is wrong is a function of how we view our circumstances. If we are safe and resources are plentiful, we tend to express a liberal outlook. If we imagine our condition to be one of danger or scarcity, we express a conservative and more constrained outlook'. That ultimately 'together, our conservative and liberal moral views vie with each other as we try to figure out the proper moral attitude to apply to whatever situation we face. We are liberal when we can be, conservative when we must be'.
Liberal When We Can; Conservative When We Must
Published in Quillette on August 9, 2022
Conservatism and liberalism are mistakenly viewed as purely political expressions when, upon reflection, they reveal fundamental, biologically based moral outlooks that we apply to all situations…
…unique insight from Fritz's book concerns the larger ecological and evolutionary origins of leaning left or right. His insight is simple, but not simplistic. - Dr. John Johnson - June 14, 2021
Read Dr. Johnson’s article here: Moral-Political Polarity and Its Origin | Psychology Today
Local television appearance discussing the theory of dual morality and Our Human Herds - June 2016:
Radio interview with WGBR 1150, Goldsboro NC - August 2016: