Social Consciousness

The Primary Forms of Social Consciousness

Moral Consciousness

The forms of social consciousness, representing various means of spiritual engagement with reality and existence, did not emerge simultaneously. They were not all created at once, so to speak; rather, they gradually took shape during the development of humanity and society, influenced by the social needs that arose at specific historical stages. It is likely that moral consciousness was the first to arise, and from it, we shall begin our examination of the primary forms of social consciousness.

The objective foundation of moral consciousness, which conditions its formation, existence, and development, consists of social being, particularly that aspect which can be termed "moral being." This phenomenon, defined by the aforementioned concept, manifests as a complex of relationships among social subjects based on a system of unwritten yet universally acknowledged norms of behavior and activity that have developed within the social organism at a particular stage of its historical evolution.

The relationships among individuals in the process of material production, which is the primary form of human activity in any society, necessitated the practical alignment of individual labor efforts with those of the primitive collective in the context of early social structures. Scholars examining this period of human history emphasize that achieving solidarity regarding labor and maintaining communal peace was impossible without the development of the practice of "producing humans by humans," or collectively regulating the reproduction of offspring. Thus, the taboo against close familial relationships emerged as one of the simplest and earliest moral-social prohibitions, marking the inception of moral relations and norms of behavior. Throughout historical development, these relations evolved and were enriched with new elements. However, it is crucial to note that developed morality did not negate any of the ancient moral requirements.

As recently as the mid-twentieth century, Czech ethicist I. Popelova made one of the first attempts to analyze moral relations, which, in her view, encompass: “A. Moral actions, behaviors, and skills of individuals or groups; furthermore, societal institutions, order, and measures that realize the moral relations of a given society. This represents the objective side of moral relations.
B. Moral consciousness, moral feelings, moral convictions, moral aspirations, and moral qualities of character. This comprises the subjective, psychological side of moral relations.
C. Moral goals, moral ideas, codes of moral values and norms... This is the ideological side of moral relations.”

While Popelova accurately captures the specificity of moral being by encompassing the fundamental structural elements that form its system, she encounters difficulties in defining the criteria for their classification. It is not surprising that subsequent researchers of moral relations criticized her for an overly broad interpretation of the objective side of moral relations and the somewhat artificial division of the spiritual aspects of these relations into psychological and ideological components.

Additionally, it should be noted that a more serious shortcoming in the definition of moral relations proposed by the Czech ethicist is the near absence of any reference to the interconnection between the two objectively existing dialectical oppositions of moral being and moral consciousness, with the latter essentially dissolving within moral relations. However, moral consciousness is not only a component of moral being, but, existing in a dialectical relationship with it and endowed with relative autonomy, it actively influences moral being.

Neglecting this circumstance can sometimes lead to erroneous theoretical positions. An example of this is O.K. Uledov's assertion that "moral relations are, in fact, norms of human behavior." This claim cannot be accepted, as it is evident from V.I. Dal's explanatory dictionary that "a norm is a general rule that should be adhered to in all similar cases," thereby belonging to the realm of consciousness.

Naturally, moral norms do not arise solely from consciousness alone: individuals, as subjects of social development, upon reflecting on the needs formed in the course of this development, seek optimal forms, methods, and means for their satisfaction, which, once discovered, are fixed as norms of activity and behavior. As A.S. Makarenko aptly emphasized, a norm becomes a genuine relation "only when its 'conscious' period transitions into a period of shared experience, tradition, and habit, when this norm begins to function swiftly and accurately, supported by public opinion and societal taste."

Existing as separate individuals, each person possesses their own needs and interests, which do not always align with the needs and interests of the social community to which they belong. The objectively existing contradictions between the social being of society and its members have given rise to the need for reconciling personal interests with those of family, kin, tribe, class, nation, and society to which the individual belongs. In other words, this has created the need for morality. Tasked with regulating the relations of personal and collective interests, morality encompasses moral relations, moral being, and moral consciousness.

Moral consciousness can be defined as one of the structural components of social consciousness, one of its integrating forms, in which the process of forming unwritten norms of behavior and activity, supported by public opinion, is realized, and which objectively emerge within a specific social organism at a certain stage of its historical development.

Moral consciousness is an integral part of social consciousness and, as such, is characterized by all the traits inherent to it. It represents the human form of reflection and spiritual engagement with reality. It is grounded in social relations and social being, carrying an objective character. The development of social being conditions the changes and development of moral consciousness. Like social consciousness in general, moral consciousness is marked by a relative autonomy of development.

As with social consciousness as a whole, moral consciousness possesses a multi-level character, encompassing the following levels:

• Everyday moral consciousness, a system of elementary norms of morality that has absorbed the basic rules of human cohabitation formed over centuries and millennia. Its social purpose is to protect members of society from various excesses that threaten life, health, security, and well-being, such as "do not kill, do not steal, do not commit violence, fraud, slander, care for parents, raise children, respect elders, be polite to others," etc.;
• Theoretical moral consciousness, which includes moral theories that justify the necessity of certain behaviors, elucidate the essence and content of ethical categories, and formulate moral ideals and goals;
• At the same level as everyday moral consciousness exists moral psychology, which has absorbed the simple norms of morality that exist in thoughts, feelings, and value orientations rooted in the people;
• At the higher level of moral consciousness resides moral ideology— a theoretically substantiated, practical moral consciousness, theoretical conclusions of ethics recognized as correct and necessary, which people adopt as guiding principles.

An important element of moral consciousness is moral self-awareness—a specific characteristic of an individual or social group, expressed in their recognition of themselves within moral being and their moral self-assessment.

Alongside the common features shared with other forms of social consciousness, moral consciousness possesses distinct characteristics that determine its specificity.

The first of these characteristics is that its essence lies in the previously mentioned interconnection of personal and social interests, which serves as one of the fundamental laws of development for both individuals and any social organism.

The second characteristic of moral consciousness is that its main content consists of ideas and views regarding how human behavior should be.

The third characteristic is that moral consciousness, by expressing attitudes toward behavior, guides individuals toward better examples of such behavior. This very circumstance, in turn, leads to the fourth characteristic of moral consciousness: it is oriented toward the future.

The fifth characteristic is that it reflects social life in terms of good and evil, duty and honor, and conscience, dealing with norms of behavior supported by public opinion.

The sixth characteristic is that it represents a form of socially mediated reflection of the phenomena of reality. Consequently, its content depends both on the object of reflection, which encompasses the relationships of individuals' interests, and on the specific social conditions under which this reflection occurs.

Among the concepts and categories employed by moral consciousness, the central ones are the categories of "good" and "evil," which denote social phenomena that establish the primary criteria for the moral activities of individuals.