The Moral Matrix

Somebody's finally come up with another way of graphing political / moral tendencies. The Moral Matrix is like other political quizzes that place you on a four quadrant graph according to your views on social and economic issues. This one uses 1) how important you think morality is and 2) how much of your sense of morality is rules based to create the four quadrants. My results did not surprise me, except when it came to John Kerry being a closer match than George Bush. How should I put this? um.... no.... The following items best match your score:

Moderate Conservatism is the variation of Conservatism that balances Conformance and Independence.

People in this category will tend to have balanced opinions about enforcing the moral order (religious conformance, strict family values, lesser freedom of expression, stricter laws...) and about favoring individual initiatives (lower taxes, less corporate and environmental regulations, ...).

1. System: Conservatism
2. Variation: Moderate Conservatism
3. Ideologies: Capital Republicanism
4. US Parties: Republican Party, Democratic Party
5. Presidents: Gerald Ford (93.01%)
6. 2004 Election Candidates: John Kerry (84.38%), George W. Bush (74.81%), Ralph Nader (69.22%)

Avoiding religious terminology, I would describe myself as someone who is mildly libertarian, and who rejects utilitarian ethics. I think right and wrong are real things, not opinions, although I acknowledge they are difficult to discern and the process is a life's work. I also think people have to find these things out for themselves - legitimate legislation and the legitimate use of force are about self and social preservation, not teaching. Tip: Striving Against Opposition, who got it from Ghost of a Flea