Learn more about our work and new book at https://schoolofgravity.com/. You can reach us at hello@schoolofgravity.com.This episode was presented by the author, Steven Titus Smith. Here’s the transcript (copyrighted):As with every episode, this episode assumes you’ve read or listened to chapter one.Moral codes have been a vague, volatile topic for a long time. The “blank-slate” theory of moral identity is a long-standing tradition—that we arrive in the world empty-minded, waiting for society to write morality into our brand new brains. As it turns out, that theory isn’t entirely correct. “The initial organization of the brain does not depend that much on experience,” wrote NYU (New York University) cognitive scientist Gary Marcus. “Nature provides a first draft, which experience then revises. Built-in doesn’t mean unmalleable [or finished]; it means organized in advance of experience.” Or in the words of Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker, “Nothing comes out of nothing, and the complexity of the brain has to come from somewhere. It cannot come from the environment alone because the whole point of having a brain is to accomplish certain goals, and the environment has no idea what those goals are.”Curious to uncover the first moral draft of the human mind if there was one, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt and social scientist Craig Joseph reviewed decades of literature ranging from anthropology to evolutionary psychology. Searching for both cross-cultural differences and similarities, Haidt and Joseph found five foundational morals—now six, Haidt added one later—as the best candidates for what’s morally instinctive for every one of us from day one:CareConcern and compassion for the harm or care of others, especially those whom we perceive as weak or vulnerable.FairnessReciprocity, justice.LoyaltySelf-sacrifice, patriotism.AuthorityRespect, voluntary deference, even elements of love.SanctityVirtue derived from controlling what you do with your body and what you put into it.LibertyResistance to oppression and tyrants.Here’s a personal story of how the foundational morals come into play, often without thinking twice—or even once—about it.Not on the menu.A few years ago we left the office for a non-working, life-shortening lunch of burgers and fries at a locally famous grill. As we ordered, a couple behind us seemed to be arguing, but it soon became clear that the two-way argument was one-way abuse. The boyfriend was insisting that because of his partner’s stupidity and indecisiveness, he would order for her. The restaurant has only nine small tables, so everyone felt the social uneasiness. Not caring if anyone else heard or not, the man kept the abusive pressure on, saying that she should put on some makeup because she “looked like crap.” She apologized.As we sat down, the man pressed on with his verbal assault. He slid his car keys across the table at her. She tried to catch them but missed. They flew into her chest. From only three feet away, I turned and asked the man what the problem was. “You know how they [women] are,” he replied flippantly. I told him he shouldn’t be talking to her that way. Dave and I both tried to persuade him to adopt any moral to end the verbal abuse. That didn’t come without a risk. What would happen to her later if he got even angrier or felt embarrassed by what we were doing? What would happen to her right now if we escalated the abuse?Then, the man went to the bathroom. Dave turned to the woman and asked how he could help, offering advice and an escape. Meanwhile, fearing the possibility of violence and wanting protection for the woman, I asked the owner to call the police. She declined, saying it wasn’t her business. So I dialed 911 myself. A few men from another table joined the discussion, warning the woman that her boyfriend was a bad man.Returning from the bathroom, the boyfriend sat down and picked up the insults where he left off. While I talked to the 911 operator, a man from another table walked over and slammed his fist on their table and threatened the boyfriend, complete with colorful adjectives to make it clear that he was ready to intervene. Everyone else in the restaurant, like the owner, stayed out of it. The boyfriend left the restaurant to get something from the car. I asked his girlfriend if he owned a gun (yes) and if the gun was in the car (she wasn’t sure). I wondered if we were going to leave the restaurant alive.Still on the phone with 911, I looked out the restaurant’s glass door, waiting for the boyfriend’s return. Dave continued to talk with the woman. I wondered if the police would arrive before the boyfriend made his way back in. Soon a group of people dressed mostly in black walked toward the door. Was it the police? The SWAT team? Wait, why are they holding cameras? How did the media arrive before the police, or even know what was happening? Then John Quiñones from ABC News walked ...
