Author: Roland Y. Kim, Ph.D. Abstract Fairness is not a fixed moral principle but a developmental phenomenon rooted in emotional evolution. Building on de Waal’s (2003) findings of inequity aversion in primates and the Five-Stage Model of Civilization (Kim, 2021), this paper proposes a developmental framework for evaluating fairness across individuals, societies, and cultures. Each […]
By Roland Y. Kim, Ph.D. In one of the most fascinating animal behavior studies ever filmed, primatologist Frans de Waal placed two capuchin monkeys side by side and asked them to perform a simple task: hand him a small rock in exchange for food. Both were content with cucumbers—until one monkey received a grape instead.
By Roland Y. Kim, Ph.D. A Nation in Turmoil France is once again in the grip of mass protest and political turbulence. On September 18, 2025, more than 800,000 citizens across sectors — teachers, transport workers, hospital staff — joined one of the biggest strikes in years. A movement called Bloquons Tout (“Block Everything”) erected
Free Speech, Offense, and Violence: A Five-Stage Journey Introduction Few issues test democracy more than the tension between freedom of expression and the offense it may cause to minority or vulnerable groups. What happens when free speech mocks a sacred religion, satirizes a god’s image, or denies the existence of LGBTQ identities? For some, this
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From Fear to Flourishing: J.S. Mill’s On Liberty Through the Five Stages Introduction Few works have shaped modern democracy as deeply as John Stuart Mill’s On Liberty (1859). In it, Mill defends the freedom of thought, speech, and individuality against the oppressive weight of government and social conformity. But Mill’s arguments are more than political
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Hayek’s Road to Serfdom Through the Five-Stage Lens Introduction Friedrich Hayek’s classic The Road to Serfdom (1944) remains one of the most influential works in political economy. His warning was simple yet powerful: central economic planning inevitably leads to authoritarianism, while individual liberty and market order safeguard freedom. Hayek’s book inspired generations of conservatives and
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Introduction: A Tragedy that Demands Reflection On August 22, 2025, tragedy struck in Charlotte when Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, was fatally stabbed aboard the city’s Lynx Blue Line train. The suspect, Decarlos Brown Jr., had a long criminal record and a well-documented history of severe mental illness. He had been arrested multiple times,
Introduction Conflicts between the federal government and individual states are a longstanding feature of American history. But what if we could view these not just as legal battles or policy disagreements, but as emotional and developmental struggles as well? Using my Five-Stage Conflict Resolution Model, we can analyze these recurring tensions as expressions of collective
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Van Hiel, A., De Keersmaecker, J., Onraet, E., Haesevoets, T., Roets, A., & Fontaine, J. R. J. (2019). The relationship between emotional abilities and right-wing and prejudiced attitudes. Emotion, 19(5), 917–922. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000497 1. Lower Emotional Intelligence and Right-Wing Views The article argues that lower emotional intelligence is correlated with right-wing political views, emphasizing prejudice,
