Morality as a Measure of Society

This chapter theorizes what it means to say a person is a member of a particular society, thus carrying the “typical” moral worldview as a member of that society. Much sociological work explores variation within a particular society, but people also colloquially understand what it means to say that somebody is emblematically “French” or “American.” The chapter defends the proposition that a national “habitus” or “background” can be measured and is a way of quantifying the collective understanding and sentiments held by members of a society. It explains how this understanding captures a sense of national identity that we can use to compare countries. It also introduces a typology of moral emotions that is used in both psychology and sociology as a theoretical indicator of how individuals fit themselves into societal moral codes.