Which empirical human motivations are most important to the success of central liberal institutions and practices?
Moral theory can narrow disagreement on what is morally right. However, merely to agree about what is morally right does not necessarily motivate an individual, or individuals in a group, to do what is morally right.
Locke’s social contract theory, Rawls’ theory of justice, and practices such as free speech and toleration are constructed both from moral judgments and empirical claims about human motivations. We also examined empirical theories or claims about human motivation: Turiel, citizenship culture in Bogotá, homo economicus, Bowles and Gintis on behavioral experiments, Haidt’s foundations, perhaps Bandura or Pinker, and others.
Which empirical human motivations (positive reciprocity and others) are most important to the success of central liberal institutions and practices (for example, limited government, free speech, toleration) and how might common motivations support or undermine the institutions and practices? Don’t recite every motivation and every institution; rather, select a few important relationships to explicate.
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solution preview
Similarities in objectives often form one of the primary factors that contribute to the creation of any particular social environment. For instance, interest to create awareness on the need for participation in the mid-term elections could influence a group of young people into formally uniting to create awareness on the said course. The desire to achieve the predetermined objective would influence the different parties into engaging in different activities, all with the aim of realizing their ultimate goals. Similarly, institutions within a civil society are formed with the primary objective of aiding the governance of the said society to achieve the primary objectives of the government in power.
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