Are Moral Foundations Really Foundational? Evidence from a Survey Experiment.

Morality has long been central to the study of politics and power. Traditional conceptions of morality center on the ideas of justice, fairness, and welfare. A new theory of morality - moral foundations theory, which argues that morality is based in quick, emotional, and intuitive judgments about right and wrong - is, however, gaining popularity in political science and psychology. In this paper, I take a closer look at moral foundations theory and test one of its core assumptions - that moral foundations are actually foundational. Using a survey experiment that draws heavily on cultural cognition theory, I show that moral foundations are not foundational to those with strong cultural commitments (e.g. those with strong commitments to partisan and ideological groups). I argue that these results suggest the need for greater theoretical development in the area of moral foundations and increased attention to measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]