Mores are the customary, normatively charged practices and prohibitions of a society — behavioral standards that carry moral weight and are enforced through social sanction. Parameters: (1) normative force — violations provoke disapproval or formal punishment; (2) cultural specificity — mores vary across societies, epochs, and subgroups; (3) enforcement through social mechanisms — gossip, ostracism, reputational damage, or codified penalties. Persists through cultural transmission, socialization, and the reputational costs of violation. [formal: mores | substrate: behavior | horizon: a life | explicit: no | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
mores
Mores are the customary, normatively charged practices and prohibitions of a society — behavioral standards that carry moral weight and are enforced through social sanction. Parameters: (1) normative force — violations provoke disapproval…
Definition
Why it is in scope
Human-made social customs that regulate behavior through shared practice and collective enforcement. Built to persist through cultural transmission, socialization, and the reputation costs of violation — a framework of expected conduct that holds communities together.
Names and aliases
- moresen · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmredw55d001vg8vu5rms63hgINSTANCE_OF →
Mores are a specific kind of social custom/practice — accepted social norms and conventions. A competent speaker would say 'mores are a type of custom.' Epoch check: custom (0.08) predates mores (0.15).
- cms73p18m00kta34ch6s9vkzuINSTANCE_OF →
Mores ARE a specific kind of social norm — distinguished by their moral/ethical weight. The competent-speaker test passes: 'mores are a type of social norm with moral significance.' Social-norm is the nearest kind.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Jul 21, 2026, 9:18 AM UTC
- Content hash
- ca9da9b055fdff06022ee0b2034a4af2a4d48fd772bc55f4a98802f2b136b166