Agent-based moral rhetoric simulation to reduce political polarization

Abstract Rising US polarization in recent years has negatively impacted many friend and family relationships. To determine the best moral strategies for facilitating cross-party communication, we create an agent-based simulation underpinned by Moral Foundations Theory to model small-group moral conversations where the majority of agents align with either liberal or conservative views. We find, contrary to what moral re-framing research has assumed, that loyalty may be the best moral foundation for facilitating cross-party communication. More research is needed to understand the depolarizing effects of moral arguments in group settings.