Approaching some interdisciplinary theories in research on the relationship between culture and ethics

Abstract

This article examines the dynamic relationship between culture and morality by integrating three theoretical frameworks: Hofstede’s cultural dimensions model, the Moral Foundations Theory developed by Haidt and colleagues, and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital. Using an interdisciplinary theoretical analysis approach, the study compares and interprets value models to argue that moral norms are not fixed universal standards but are continually constructed, maintained, and restructured through interactions with cultural values and historical-social conditions. The findings highlight that morality emerges as a culturally specific expression shaped by both innate moral intuitions and socially embedded cultural structures. The article elucidates how cultural dimensions such as individualism collectivism, power distance, and long-term orientation interact with core moral foundations like care, fairness, loyalty, authority, and sanctity to produce diverse moral behaviors across different societies. The novel contribution of this study lies in bridging major theoretical approaches to propose an interdisciplinary framework for understanding the dynamic interdependence between culture and morality. Based on these insights, the article outlines policy implications for adaptive moral education, culturally responsive public policymaking, and comprehensive human development in contemporary pluralistic societies.