Morality and Politics

Given the profound impact that political institutions have on people’s lives and how moral principles are essential in both establishing and maintaining these institutions, any detailed analysis of morality’s effects on civilization must address how it has affected lives through its influence on politics. In this chapter I evaluate morality’s influence in this arena by examining how it has impacted several key aspects of the political realm. I will argue that morality has had a mostly detrimental effect on our political institutions and the policies arising from them.