Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty. 
This much we pledge—and more.  -JFK

Friday, June 6

Is The Truth Relative? 

Peter Schweizer has written an interesting article about liberals and conservatives and who is more honest.  The conclusions, while contrary to the conventional wisdom you hear on the nightly news, is exactly what I expected. 

The headline may seem like a trick question — even a dangerous one — to ask during an election year.  And notice, please, that I didn’t ask whether certain politicians are more honest than others. ( Politicians are a different species altogether.)  Yet there is a striking gap between the manner in which liberals and conservatives address the issue of honesty. 

I want to stress this point before we go any farther; this is not about individuals.  We all know moral, honest liberals and we all know conservatives who are bottom dwelling scum.  Or maybe that's just me.  Either way, this is not about any individual or candidate, this is about fundamental differences in the two groups as a whole. 

With that in mind, let's continue. 

Is it OK to cheat on your taxes?  A total of 57 percent of those who described themselves as “very liberal” said yes in response to the World Values Survey, compared with only 20 percent of those who are “very conservative.”  When Pew Research asked whether it was “morally wrong” to cheat Uncle Sam, 86 percent of conservatives agreed, compared with only 68 percent of liberals. 

Ponder this scenario, offered by the National Cultural Values Survey: “You lose your job.  Your friend’s company is looking for someone to do temporary work.  They are willing to pay the person in cash to avoid taxes and allow the person to still collect unemployment.  What would you do?” 

Almost half, or 49 percent, of self-described progressives would go along with the scheme, but only 21 percent of conservatives said they would. 

When I heard Peter being interviewed on Fox and Friends this morning, I had the same reaction to these stats that he expresses in his article.  I think it's because of the basic difference between liberal and conservative ideology.  Conservatives believe in absolute moral truth.  In other words, conservatives see things in black and white, or right and wrong.  Liberals, on the other hand, believe truth is relative and open to interpretation.  When your basic belief system is based on the principle of moral relativism, then most anything is possible and lying and/or cheating are okay in certain circumstances.