Moralność a więź społeczna, cz. II
Morality and the Social Bond, vol. II

Summary/Abstract: Moral standards as an element of culture are of fundamental importance in regard to the social relationships governing group integration. However, since social groups assume extremely diverse forms – primarily arising from the diverse forms of their internal social bond – so different types of morality as bonding factors appear to be more or less adequate. For example, morality based on the reciprocity principle seems to be a very adequate bonding factor in community-type groups, as shown by research of moral consciousness in Polish traditional villages. The central problem of this paper can therefore be expressed as follows: how do the changes of group morality correspond to the changing group form, occurring in the course of historical development, when a „mechanical solidarity” bond is transformed into „organic solidarity” bond? The Author draws upon the Old Testament to demonstrate that changes of morality may be effected by a search, within a religious doctrine, for legitimization which was previously sufficiently guaranteed by the apparently self-evident standards grounded in tradition. As a result of this process a great religious narrative may be developed, and thus religion and morality may become closely united. Also, any group where this principle constitutes the basis for integration has greater chances of surviving cultural and physical danger.

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