Morality, Sociological Discourse, and Public Engagement

Abstract

In avoiding the topic of morality, sociologists have weakened our own capacity to advance the public understanding of one of our root ideas—namely, that society is an important force—and have largely ceded control of public dialogue to ideologues. In this article, I call for a renewed effort in sociology to explicitly take up the topic of morality and not shy from using value-oriented terms in our work and in public engagement. To illustrate this point, I examine the implications of the ever-expanding market culture. I use moral foundation theory to formulate key questions around this topic and, more broadly, offer a framework that sociologists might draw from in attending to the societal consequences of current social practices and trends.