Form: Short Note

CONSERVATISM’S SENSE OF DISGUST (PURITY)

You know, what separates conservatives from libertarians is not only groupishness (hierarchy, duty), but a higher purity (disgust) response. Now, I am entirely aware that I have this disgust response. And I know its genetic. And I know its evolutionary purpose. And so in the moral, legal, and POLITICAL context I try not to let it interfere with my judgements. But in the personal context, in my own life, I still feel a very high disgust response to the same things conservatives do. So I tend to avoid ‘disgusting’ environments both physically and intellectually. The hard discipline to develop for most of us is not projecting our feelings as universal goods, but instead, special adaptations for the division of perception, cognition, knowledge, labor and advocacy. It is hard, but we can demonstrate preference in personal life and demonstrate awareness of preference in reason.