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The social institutionist model provided insight as to how often our moral judgments are based first and foremost on an instinctual, gut level and then are followed by thoughtful, careful deliberation.  In the case of welfare, this argument can be useful in the polarization of the debate.  Should the government be responsible for helping out the poor, or does the situation simply create a vicious cycle of attachment that leads to easy abuse?  When faced with these opposite moral stances, it becomes easy to derive our ideas from a priori knowledge instead of creating a rational basis.