Making Sense of Moral Outrage

[544 words] This is a time of moral outrage. Anger and animosity quickly and easily spill over from one person to the next, often in violent outbursts. Riots and looting have been recorded and reported from the streets of several major U.S. cities. Bitterness and condescension is lobbed from one side of the aisle to the other on Capitol Hill. Brawls between strangers are seen in stadiums and ballparks. Acrimonious and hostile arguments with no end in sight are the norm for social media. What could possibly be the root cause of this constant fighting, ugliness, and vitriol? On the surface, these may seem like stock examples of modern-day quarreling as reported in the 24-hour news cycle. However, the issue runs much deeper than that. The flared tempers and propensity to fight are signs and indicators that are pointing to something much more substantial than mere differences of opinion. The…