Let’s begin with a definition. Moral grandstanding is “the use of moral talk for self-promotion” (40). It’s a problem exacerbated by social media where it runs rampant. Tosi and Warmke offer a personal example that illustrates the definition clearly:

No one should die because they cannot afford health care, and no one should go broke because they get sick. We are only as strong as the weakest among us. If you agree, please post this as your Facebook or Myspace status for the rest of the day. (30)

Grandstanders want people to be impressed by their morality (”recognition desire”) so they engage in public moral discourse to that end (”grandstanding expression”) (15). To simplify things:

Grandstanding = Recognition Desire + Grandstanding Expression (15).

As I read through this book, I began to realize something that Tosi and Warmke would make explicit. Since grandstanding depends on the intent of the person who posts, it’s technically impossible to determine whether or not someone is grandstanding. In the personal example above, the one who posts could be purely motivated by a desire to change the health care system. This muddies the water and makes the identification (not to mention the remediation) of grandstanding very difficult.

Grandstanding is a carefully reasoned book, written by philosophers with an interdisciplinary perspective—they frequently draw on empirical studies to support their claims. They go beyond defining grandstanding—they also argue that it is harmful to public discourse and should be resisted.

The final chapter on “What to Do About Grandstanding” was the weakest in the book. Tosi and Warmke argue that we should resist personal expressions of grandstanding (great). Then, they argue that it’s not enough to deal with ourselves. If everyone is dumping feces into the stream, burying yours properly is not going to make a difference (their metaphor, not mine). They suggest three ways to stop grandstanding: correct beliefs through education, set a good personal example, and refuse to reward grandstanders with social currency. These are all helpful suggestions, but can you imagine them making a difference in the real world?

Grandstanding is a problem closely associated with politics. That said, I wonder how it impacts the religious world. When we pastors engage in moral talk, is there a thinly veiled “recognition drive” at work, or are we speaking for the glory of God? This deserves some careful reflection that a book like Grandstanding will help to facilitate.

Tosi, Justin and Brandon Warmke. Grandstanding: The Use and Abuse of Moral Talk. Oxford UP, 2020.