More on Natural Moral Institutions

Overview

The properties already described are listed and elaborated here:

L	Types of Moral Institution	Identity Realm [PH'4] & Typical Concerns	Society's Survival Need	Main Ethical Rule* & Target
I"	Formal etiquette	Sensory: dress, appearance, dining, speech.	Ceremonial respect	Prescriptions [PH'6L1] for social behaviours
II"	Popular morality	Vital (Body): sex. aggression, work, alcohol, drugs, money.	Conformity	Conventions [PH'6L2] for social attitudes
III"	Communal ideals	Emotional: any quality or aspect of a society that enables attachment.	Energy	Tenets [PH'6L3] for social values
IV"	Social structure	Individual: Claims, duties, powers, disabilities, privileges, immunities, liabilities.	Order	Rights [PH'6L4] for social boundaries
V"	Ethical teaching	Relational: handling personal and social relationships.	Virtue	Maxims [PH'6L5] for social functioning
VI"	Governance system	Social: maintaining peace, order, justice, freedom and the common good.	Stability	Laws [PH'6L6] for social enforcement
VII"	Organized religion	Transpersonal: mysteries of existence—especially evil, suffering, God.	Meaning	Absolutes [PH'6L7] for social existence

*Each institution uses all Types of Ethical Rule : see below.

Tables are modified from Ch.7 Working with Values: Software of the Mind (1995).
For a more detailed explanation, download Ch. 7 here.

Effects on Individuals

Individuality matters because these powerful and enduring institutions impact heavily on each member of society, often in an unforgiving way. Compliance demands, and the approach to individual differences, vary according to the institution.

Each Natural Moral Institution takes a distinctive view of individuals and their differences: at the lowest levels, individuals are regarded as virtually identical. However, as the hierarchy is ascended, the significance of individual differences is increasingly realized until at the very highest these differences are transcended.

See the Table

L	Types of Moral Institution	Ensuring Compliance: Sanction (S) & Inducement (I)	Approach to Individual Differences
I"	Formal etiquette	S: Direct social control I: Certainty behaviour is right.	Ignored & irrelevant
II"	Popular morality	S: Social rejection I: Social acceptance	Suppressed & overcome
III"	Communal ideals	S: Social opposition I: Social endorsement	Accepted & tolerated
IV"	Social structure	S: Losing social benefits I: Gaining social benefits	Classified & institutionalized
V"	Ethical teaching	S: Social condemnation I: Social admiration	Recognized & valued
VI"	Governance system	S: Public penalties I: Public support	Assumed & protected
VII"	Organized religion	S: Being distrusted I: Being trusted	Sustained & transcended

Common Criticisms

L	Types of Moral Institution	Common Criticisms
I"	Formal etiquette	Too artificial and mechanical; interferes with spontaneity.
II"	Popular morality	Too rigid or too lax; worsens personal problems.
III"	Communal ideals	Blocks learning from outsiders; creates taboos.
IV"	Social structure	Too insensitive to individuals; institutionalizes injustice.
V"	Ethical teaching	Too demanding and unrealistic to be used in everyday life.
VI"	Governance system	Too powerful; too corruptible; too bureaucratic; too coercive.
VII"	Organized religion	Too pervasive; too controlling; too hypocritical.

Ethical Rules within the Institutions

The moral institutions show a cumulation of rule types i.e. Institution-VII": Religion requires all 7 types of ethical rule, Institution-VI": Governance system requires only the lower 6 types of ethical rule, and so on down to Formal Etiquette that only requires 1 type of ethical rule: prescriptions, the most basic and direct rule.

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Originally posted: July 2009; Last updated: 12 June 2014.