Moral Judgments and Community Cohesion in Public Policy

Moral judgments and community cohesion significantly influence public policy, particularly when considering the dichotomy between different cognitive styles, such as systemizing and empathizing. The insights reveal that individuals high in systemizing, often including engineers and economists, may struggle to understand the importance of community rituals and traditions for social cohesion, which can lead to detrimental policies. Durkheim's perspective emphasizes that a functioning community requires more than just the aggregation of individuals; it necessitates shared values and practices that may appear irrational but are crucial in fostering social bonds. This understanding highlights the limitations of a purely utilitarian approach when shaping policies, as it may overlook the social fabrics that bind communities together. Public policies driven solely by utilitarian principles, especially when designed by those lacking empathetic insights, risk undermining the social capital essential for community well-being, ultimately leading to weakened communal ties and contributing to the deterioration of societal structures.