Jonathan Haidt discovered five foundations of morality in his research:

1) Harm/Care

2) Fairness/Reciprocity

3) Authority/Respect

4) In-group/Loyalty

5) Purity/Sanctity

 

I have made a clear distinction between Ethics and Morality.  I posed a question in an earlier post on understanding ethics, “Could it be moralistic thinking is a source of unethical behavior?”  To be clear, items 3, 4, & 5 are not inherently ethical or unethical concepts; in fact, they are useful tools in promoting social cohesion and order.  Of course, “Every tool can be used as a weapon if you hold it right.”  So we will look at (3) Authority/Respect, (4) In-group/Loyalty, & (5) Purity/Sanctity in more detail.