Moral reasoning, cultural practices and social inequalities

Abstract

This article addresses a set of questions regarding relations between culture and morality. Unlike positions of moral relativism based on varying orientations in different cultures, it is proposed that moral development involves the construction of thinking in the moral domain through children’s reciprocal interactions with others. Along with the construction of moral reasoning based on understandings of welfare, justice, and rights, children construct judgments about conventions in the social system and areas of personal jurisdiction. The analyses presented show that cultural comparisons require attention to variations within cultures, commonalities between cultures, and patterns of similarities and differences between cultures. One seemingly common feature in most cultures is the existence of social hierarchies and inequalities, with groups distributed in positions of greater power and status over other groups. Research in several cultures, including patriarchal ones, shows that people in subordinate positions regularly challenge cultural practices of inequality and unfair restrictions on their personal choices and autonomy. Social opposition and resistance stem from moral judgments by which individuals are able to reflect upon systems of social organization and cultural practices.