The Culture of Morality

by Elliot Turiel

• ISBN13: 9780521721592
• ISBN10: 0521721598
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-08-04
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

A thought-provoking examination of how explanations of social and moral development inform our understandings of morality and culture. A common theme in the latter part of the twentieth century has been to lament the moral state of American society and the decline of morality among youth. A sharp turn toward an extreme form of individualism and a lack of concern for community involvement and civic participation are often blamed for the moral crisis. Turiel challenges these views, drawing on a large body of research from developmental psychology, anthropology, sociology as well as social events, political movements, and journalistic accounts of social and political struggles. Turiel shows that generation after generation has lamented the decline of society and blamed young people. Using historical accounts, he persuasively argues that such characterizations of moral decline entail stereotyping, nostalgia for times past, and a failure to recognize the moral viewpoint of those who challenge traditions.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Striving for community

Discontents revisited

Social judgments and social contexts

The development of moral and social judgments

Social thought and social action

Social harmony and social conflict

Justice, heterogeneity, and cultural practices

Social hierarchy, subordination, and human capabilities

Perspectives on cultural practices: more than one

Subversion in everyday life

Conclusion

Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.