Morality as a Discursive Accomplishment among Animal Rescue Workers

Abstract

A sociological view of moral decision making suggests that it is frequently an interactionally constructed product of the discourse of groups. Here we utilize ethnographically-derived email conversations to analyze the discursive construction of decisions among members of a volunteer group faced with a moral dilemma. We focus on their use of three key linguistic resources—moral vocabularies, moral rhetoric and moral narratives. We find each of these resources instrumental in constructing a discourse that allows groups to resolve such problems, while simultaneously shoring up group solidarity, protecting the basic principles the group, and salvaging the moral identities of its members.