Not for the first time, human psychology creates trouble without offering an answer. Now, James Mariott (Times, Aug 5) tells us about Jonathan Haidt's notion of moral dumbfounding. We are perplexed (dumbfounded?) by behaviour like that of Bonnie Blue and her 1,000 clients - obviously both crass and depressing for the rest of us to hear about, but why immoral?
Apparently, Haidt does not propose a solution to that puzzle. We are left with only the logical conclusion to his observations, namely, (re)adopting bodily purity taboos still widespread in non-Western cultures and abandoning Mill-style individual freedom. Fair enough, a psychologist such as Haidt is not in the business of going down routes like that, but we have seen how dangerous purity - and defilement - ideas can be in contexts ranging from family honour and rape to racism, antisemitism, and miscegenation. It's not merely that modern medicine and sanitation have reduced pressures for (personal) cleanliness, but also the bloody and brutal lessons we have had (including within the West) about hatreds, conflicts and genocides that physical or biological purity notions can produce. Such conflicts have only become the more dangerous in the post-1945 age of mass destruction weapons.
These are, of course, purely negative points in favour of avoiding purity ideas and retaining Western (cultural) 'liberalism'. But there is also the positive that Mill's old 'no harm' principle invites me to think of others who might be harmed rather than just looking after myself. Part of why sacred purity ideas can become so dangerous is because they are apt to be self-regarding and egotistical.
None of this is to say that Mariott and Haidt are wrong to warn us about algorithmic ratchets on the internet, and the flood of stupid and depraved behaviour they encourage. (Everyone is desperate for their 15 minutes of fame, often without sensible ideas of how to achieve it.) It is not contrary to the idea of personal freedom to remind people that they take responsibility for what they do, and self-inflicted harm still means others, be they friends, relatives, or the health service, picking up the pieces if they can. Maybe Bonnie Blue and her clients should be sent to the back of the queue for any medical treatment or therapy?