Mores

Mores

In "Folkways" Sumner presents the case that social mores, while traditionally thought of as setting the limits for and ensuring acceptable behavior are exposed within the historical record of upholding torture, revenge and public executions. Provided that a particular act occurred within a given social context, even the worst excesses of humanity were seen as appropriate for punishing petty crime, or exacting revenge on defeated opponents. Sumner points out that the mores sanctioned the existence of brothels, under the rationalization that it provided a necessary outlet for society, and if people were unable to satisfy their desires through that outlet than worse would result. Whatever the mores of a society are, they are reflections of a particular stage in society, and more than reason, have tended to be the method of determining the jurisdiction of ethics. Most telling however, is the degree to which issues of a sexual nature elicited more attention or astonishment from Sumner than those dealing with torture or killing. This reflects the cultural lens and mores with which Sumner examines the mores of others.
The chapter “Sacred Harlotry and Child Sacrifice” further investigates the social construction of ethics. In it, Sumner examines a practice of the Ewe, whose homeland was split by colonialism (Togo, Benin and northern Ghana), were famous in Africa for voodoo, however have one supreme deity known as Mawu, of having girls of 12 years old spend three years with a priest and once of pubescent age are married to God and become publicly available. It may also be of interest to know that the Ewe tribe has a very communal social structure (wikipedia, 2009). Sumner points out, that this practice developed not out of maliciousness or social welfare but “was regarded as conducive to welfare” (Sumner, 1906)
If harlotry existed in the open, it was thus condoned by mores, when, (usually after connection with sexual excess and disease) it was condemned by the mores it would cease to exist. The argument is essentially that man socially constructs his morality and ethics more reflective of economic and social realities than of idealistic ones, (with thus a potential to degrade into sheer moral relativism and a disappearance of categorical imperatives) at least to a far greater degree than many would like to think. Thus, religion is constructed around society’s mores and not vice-versa. Mores are endowed with the power to allow and disallow any given act.

References:
Sumner, William Graham. (1906). “Folkways.” The Atheneum Press. Gin and Company Proprietors. Boston.
Wikipedia. 2009. “Ewe People” accessed February 13, 2009 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewe_people