What Has Happened to our Moral Compasses?

Recent political events here in the UK have prompted me to write this blog. I have been struggling with the ideas for a few days and as yet they are far from being fully formed. I am hoping that by trying to express them here they may become clearer to me. I am posting under the Filosofy on Friday category, adding further confusion because today is Monday.

I am struggling to get to grips with what is happening nationally. News stories often leave me feeling a mixture of anger and despair. I think the whole Brexit debate in this country cast the die – or rather, forged an iron bar that divided the nation. Literally, it forced a polarisation – an apposite term. We joined the “in” group or the “out” group, and with that choice came all the consequences of seeing things in terms of “us” and “them”. There is a vast amount of psychological research about “in-groups” and “out-groups” – see, for example, Sherif’s pioneering work in this field.

I think it is also fair to highlight Donald Trump’s “contribution” to the dysfunctional/dystopian zeitgeist we find ourselves in. The simple strategy of discarding facts that may be at odds with our beliefs as “fake news” is almost genius. We live in challenging times with countless complex political and ethical problems to solve, so who wouldn’t want to embrace simple solutions? I feel the balance has shifted from trying to understand things in a rational way towards being more emotionally-driven. There seems to be a more blurred boundary between facts and opinions, and more weight appears to be given to the latter. Opinions are important, of course, but it is debatable whether they should dominate when it comes to acts and decisions in the real world. The current Covid-19 pandemic (and responses to it) has brought these issues into sharp focus.

So, what has happened to our moral compasses? I think there has been a shift akin to what occurs with the Earth’s magnetic field. The difference between true north and magnetic north varies over time and place. The difference is known as the angle of declination. If you are relying on a map and compass to find your way, then knowing this angle is an important factor in finding your true bearing.

When it comes to moral compasses, the angle of declination between true truth and magnetic/political/expedient truth has increased because of some of the factors I noted above. The problem we are thus faced with is knowing by just how much this angle has increased – without this knowledge, how can we find a true bearing? And what of our politicians….?