Episode 52 - Laura Ingalls Wilder & Values
Are moral values given to us by our parents? Are they just arbitrary rules put on us by society? Or have morals “evolved” with us?
Moral values seem to come under question a lot these days. Especially in politics, if news anchors and talk-show hosts can be believed. One party does something morally questionable, and the other party clutches their pearls and acts like common decency is under attack. Next week, the parties switch roles.
But what are moral values, really? Does the human mind come pre-packaged with an innate understanding of “goodness” and “badness”? Are we born with a sense of morality? Or is morality taught to us by our parents and reinforced by society? And perhaps more importantly, does being moral earn more money in the long-run? Does the moral life make us healthier?
Today we’re going to look at moral values, where they come from, and whether they’re a help or a hindrance throughout our lifetime. Then we’ll look into a family of serial killers known as The Bloody Benders. And we’ll talk about how the most morally upright man in fiction - Pa Wilder - the dad from Little House on the Prairie - might have ridden away in the middle of the night to deliver a little vigilante justice to the Benders.
History Links:
https://kathlit.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/laura-ingalls-wilder-and-the-bloody-benders/
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-benders/
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/53672/bloody-benders-americas-first-serial-killers
https://www.historynet.com/the-bloody-benders-grim-harvest.htm
Science Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem
https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/26/health/brain-moral-judgments
https://www.oxygen.com/martinis-murder/serial-killers-ted-bundy-dennis-rader
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watching-eye_effect#:~:text=They%20signify%20that%20our%20actions,through%20mere%20depictions%20of%20eyes.&text=Empirical%20psychological%20research%20has%20continually,and%20more%20pro%2Dsocial%20behavior.
https://www.newswise.com/articles/lying-less-linked-to-better-health-new-research-finds
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/science-jan-june09-achievement_04-17
https://jamesclear.com/personal-values-journal#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIt%20turns%20out%20that%20writing,connected%2C%20and%20empathetic%20toward%20others.