Tetlock, P. E. (2003). Thinking the unthinkable: sacred values and taboo cognitions. TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences, 7, 320-324.
What is the potential weakness of arbitrary moral codes?
What is sacredness? Why must it be protected from secular contamination?
Why is even contemplating a taboo thought potentially morally corrosive?
What are rhetorical redefinitions and why are they sometimes welcomed by the general public?
What are heretical counter-factuals and how do moral communities erect emotional boundaries against them?
What is a taboo trade-off and why does even contemplating one bring suspicion upon oneself?
Describe how reframing can help avoid the negative connotations associated with taboo trade-offs.
1. What are some restraints that can cause people to reevaluate their sacred values?
2. What are the Sacred Value Protection Model and its three hypotheses? Describe the three hypotheses.
3. What evidence provides support for people as reliable defenders of sacred values?
4. What evidence explains the differences in people’s behavior towards tragic trade-offs and taboo trade-offs?
5. What evidence provides support for people as neither vigilant nor resolute defenders of sacred values?