Morality, Rationality and Community: An Analytical Sociological Theory of Moral Actions

This study introduces a novel modeling framework for understanding the structural underpinnings of moral action, offering new insights into the interplay between social norms, egoistic incentives, and behavioral dynamics. Grounded in the new sociology of morality (Hitlin and Vaisey 2010, 2013; Simpson and Willer 2015) and the concept of thick morality (Abend 2011; Tavory 2011) in particular, the framework employs game theory as its analytical tool. It emphasizes that morally relevant situations cannot be isolated from the broader social system, which shapes not only the content of social norms but also the incentives to adhere to moral rules. The paper argues that this approach allow for the inclusion of some important factors missing from previous models explaining moral compliance. A two-person bargaining game serves as a case study, demonstrating how the content and strength of social norms influence behavioral and discursive dynamics.