A Behavioristic Conception of the Nature of Morals

The concept of the moral order is employed to determine the fundamental characteristics of the organization of social behavior & the role of ethics in its determination. Society is delineated as a complex interweaving of both ideational & emotional components of mores; specifically, technolo...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American sociologist 1996-01, Vol.27 (4), p.24-37
Main Author: Parsons, Talcott
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arts
Atomic theory
Behaviorism
Behavioural sciences
Biological evolution
Ethics
Evolutionary theories
Judgment
Moral judgment
Morality
Morals
Religion
Religious rituals
Social Behavior
Social evolution
Social Order
Sociological Theory
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Summary:The concept of the moral order is employed to determine the fundamental characteristics of the organization of social behavior & the role of ethics in its determination. Society is delineated as a complex interweaving of both ideational & emotional components of mores; specifically, technology, institutional systems, & religious ceremonies & rituals combine with the forces of intellectual knowledge & emotional taste. An analysis of the emotional aspects of art reveals that technical excellence is the only innate characteristic of art; a critical perspective of art discloses the general characteristics of the mores, eg, traceable yet obscure origins & a multiplicity of possible usages. A discussion of the evolution of mores incorporates the theories of diffusion & convergence; although cultures develop features in an evolutionary process, it is argued that communities do not necessarily develop proportionately, thus explicating the discrepancy between the colossal development of technology in relation to less-significant changes in government & religion. Despite the dependency of morals on the past, it is concluded that the intelligent behavior aspect of mores has been rightly privileged & requires future investigation. J. W. Parker
ISSN:0003-1232
1936-4784