The psychology of moral grandstanding | Brandon Warmke

Moral grandstanding is a vanity project that sabotages public discourse says moral philosopher Brandon Warmke.

- Moral grandstanding is the use of moral talk for self-promotion. Moral grandstanders have egotistical motives: they may want to signal that they have superhuman insight into a topic, paint themselves as a victim, or show that they care more than others.

- Moral philosophers view moral grandstanding as a net negative. They argue that it contributes to political polarization, increases levels of cynicism about moral talk and its value in public life, and it causes outrage exhaustion.

- Grandstanders are also a kind of social free rider, says Brandon Warmke. They get the benefits of being heard without contributing to any valuable discourse. It's selfish behavior at best, and divisive behavior at worst.

Read more at BigThink.com: https://bigthink.com/sponsored-institute-for-humane-studies/the-psychology-of-moral-grandstanding

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