The Strange Epicycles of Political Psychology: A Response to Commentaries.

"The Strange Epicycles of Political Psychology: A Response to Commentaries" is a response to feedback on the authors' previous paper. The authors clarify that their approach, Alliance Theory, does not deny the importance of morality but suggests that morality plays a different role in politics. They explain that their goal is to understand how political beliefs function to mobilize support for allies and opposition to rivals. Alliance Theory proposes that political beliefs are shaped by group allegiances and interests, and that ideological labels and partisan labels are markers of these allegiances. The theory also predicts that values attributed to political rivals will be negatively distorted as a propagandistic tactic. The authors argue that political beliefs serve the function of mobilizing support in conflicts, and criticize the lack of attention to the adaptive function of political beliefs in political psychology. They conclude by emphasizing the importance of understanding the function of political beliefs and the potential for moral progress through impartial norms of conduct. [Extracted from the article]