Warm versus Cool Morality

One of the recent developments in ethics has been the creation/realization of a dichotomy between different theories. It is described best as warm vs. cool or feminine vs. masculine. A warm ethical theory focuses on the interpersonal as the most important part of morality. Virtues emphasized here are such as benevolence, friendship, loyalty, and charity*. The warm ethical theory will view courage, for example, primarily important as is it necessary to express love to others in certain situations. A cool ethical theory derives the interpersonal from inner strength. The most important virtues thus include truth and courage. Cool ethics thus sees charity (again, an example) as flowing out of the inner strength and goodness of the agent. The feminine and masculine differences stems from feminist ethical writers, including Nel Noddings.
Applying this to politics, I see ethical flavors as a significant difference between religious conservatives and secular conservatives. Those Christian conservatives that think about this in relation to the Bible will generally come to embrace the warm flavor of ethics**. For example: "Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." (I John 4:7-8 NIV) Christ focused on dying to self and living in God. I see little wiggle room to fit in a cool ethical theory. However, secular conservatives draw their inspiration from figures like Ayn Rand. Often they consider themselves as small-L libertarians, which is very much a political theory based on self-reliance and inner strength. While the substances of the arguments and positions of religious and secular conservatives is usually very similar, the tone and groundings are very, very different.

This fundamental difference in ethical theory accounts for much of the tension between religious and secular conservatives.



*I am using charity in its fullest, classical sense as giving love.

**Embracing the interpersonal aspects of feminist ethics does not necessarily lead to becoming a feminist.