SOC 302 1st Edition Lecture 10Outline of Last Lecture I. Moral OrderII. Narrativesa. Inconsistenciesb. Self-Evident truthsIII. LegitimationOutline of Current Lecture I.What narratives areII.Conflicting narrativesCurrent LectureSmith says that where people differ tremendously is in the particular cultural moral orders to which they commit their lives. Rational action theory says that people at bottom are calculators of costs and benefits, but Smith says that people at bottom are story followers. Somecommit to moral orders grounded in super-empirical reality, while others believe in and are governed by ordering realities not super-empirical but immanent. Lots of people commit to both, some actively, some passively. For example, an Upper Middle Class Narrative may go as follows: many families’ lives improved through hard work after the second world war, and they were able to rise into comfort and security. These families tend to have two or three children that attend exceptional schools. The fathers often work as physicians or other high-paying salaries that might compromise their relationships with family. One divorce on the way to happymarriage is common. These people reveal their innermost feelings only to paid professionals and closest friends. Most of the children are accomplished, and most get accepted into fine universities. Most people have trouble seeing their own narrative but can easily see their own scripts and the narratives of others. It is important to note that narratives are not followed precisely, but loosely. Smith asserts that arguments are not nearly as compelling as imagination in formingour actions. There is no set of obvious values and norms that we should hold. This creates difference in our lives. Often, we don’t reflect much on these stories that shape us because we aren’t socialized to. Because of this, when a narrative fails you, you can’t really get away from it.Conflicting narratives can produce moral debates. These are better fought with emotion rather These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.than reason. Sometimes people even change their minds to believe new things, but they rarely do this because of evidence, which cannot occur from a neutral standpoint. If someone threatens our core beliefs, we will quickly reveal our strong commitments to be non-negotiable. We won’t tolerate alternative stories. Law is an example of a narrative, but the law is just a group of norms that has nothing inherently rational about it. Competing narratives can work outif one narrative can be placed within