Martial CultureMoved by Reason

Jesse Bering and Neil Sinhababu (who also blogs on The Ethical Werewolf) have a discussion about morality.

(Link)

For a while now, I’ve been fascinated by Jonathan Haidt et al’s Moral Foundation Theory. But the more I look at the questionnaire, the more I wonder why there aren’t question on certain topics. I’ll write up posts for other questions I’d put on the YourMorals.org questionnaire(s) if I were contributing to them, but for now I’ll simply just suggest a set of questions regarding unions, striking, scabs….

1. One of the worst things a person could do is to be a scab while a union is on strike.
2. People should be loyal to their union brothers and sisters, even if when they have done something wrong.
3. If I were a union member and disagreed with the reasons the union was striking, I would strike anyways because it is my duty.
4. Respect for union seniority is important.
5. To dole out work in a way that violates union seniority would be wrong.
6. It is wrong to hire a scab.
7. It would be acceptable for someone to harm a scab for crossing a picket line.
8. It can never be right to cross a picket line.
9. It is the duty of all union members to support the strike action of members of other unions.

I think the imagery of the “dirty” scab you commonly find among union culture, would be enough to attract the interest of those interested in moral psychology.