Merely lingering over a taboo trade-off provokes moral outrage independent of the choice made.
Evidence
In the tragic trade-off condition, people were more positive towards the administrator who made the decision slowly rather than quickly, regardless of which boy he chose to save. Thus, lingering over a taboo trade-off, even if one ultimately does the right thing, makes one a target of moral outrage. But lingering over a tragic trade-off serves to emphasize the gravity of the issues at stake. — Philip E. Tetlock, Thinking the unthinkable, 25
Categorization
- XREF: Connects directly to the reader’s research on why mere contemplation of trade-offs involving sacred values provokes outrage regardless of outcome — deliberation itself reads as irreverence. — connects to: Taboo proposals contaminate the self and provoke defensive moral reactions. — Philip E. Tetlock, Thinking the unthinkable: sacred values…, 7; Merely contemplating trade-offs on sacred values provokes moral outrage beyond cognitive confusion — Philip E. Tetlock, Thinking the unthinkable: sacred values…, 12; Moral outrage over sacred-value violations depends heavily on rhetorical framing. — Philip E. Tetlock, Thinking the unthinkable: sacred values…, 1 (+2 more)
Related
- Mere contemplation of sacred trade-offs produces opposite moral reactions for taboo versus tragic cases (similarity 0.89)
- Merely contemplating trade-offs on sacred values provokes moral outrage beyond cognitive confusion (similarity 0.86)
- Masking sacred-value trade-offs in moral rhetoric sharply raises acceptance of them. (similarity 0.83)
- Moral outrage over sacred-value violations depends heavily on rhetorical framing. (similarity 0.79)
- Philip E. Tetlock — Thinking the unthinkable sacred values and taboo cognitions (similarity 0.78)
Broader Connections
- Mere contemplation of sacred trade-offs produces opposite moral reactions for taboo versus tragic cases
#qualifies(0.78) — Philip E. Tetlock, Thinking the unthinkable, 24 - Moral outrage over sacred-value violations depends heavily on rhetorical framing.
#qualifies(0.72) — Philip E. Tetlock, Thinking the unthinkable, 1 - Human morality is contingent rather than invariant across circumstances.
#qualifies(0.70) — Nicolas Baumard, A mutualistic approach to morality, 390