The Psycho-Social Function of Moral Conviction

What is acceptable (even desirable) diversity—and when does that diversity become deviance? This question is critical for creating and maintaining healthy socio-cultural normative structures (i.e., socially “normed” beliefs, values, practices, behaviors, etc.) that allow individuals within a culture to function well (and ideally thrive). The tension generated here introduces critical space for variation, both within and between communities. It also highlights a problem—the imperfection of our moral knowledge and the vulnerability of our normative structures to error and corruption. The challenge we face is having an understanding of ourselves as moral beings pursuing “the good life” that is stable enough to be meaningfully shared and passed down, yet flexible enough to adapt and change as our shared experiences bring that understanding into question. Moral conviction has a critical psycho-social role to play in this endeavor—and it is a paradoxical role, insofar as it is necessary both for protecting existing normative structures from corruption and for spearheading corrective endeavors when they have become dysfunctional and change is required. Of course, this is precisely what makes conviction a troublesome bedfellow—it always runs the risk of becoming unreasonably dogmatic and oppressive, or irrationally rebellious. How do we utilize moral conviction to our benefit, while avoiding its dangers? I will end the chapter by suggesting that virtue can help us to wield conviction wisely.