#1308 Stephen Vaisey: The Sociology of Morality and Political Beliefs
RECORDED ON JUNE 18th 2026.
Dr. Stephen Vaisey is Professor of Sociology and Political Science at Duke University. The main goal of his research is to understand moral and political beliefs: what they are, where they come from, and what they do. He pursues these questions in the broader interdisciplinary context of cultural evolution.
In this episode, we talk about the sociology of morality. We discuss the relationship between morality and politics, how we can combine sociology with cultural evolution. We talk about how cultural change occurs. We discuss whether people individually update their beliefs when faced with new information, and whether and how people change their political beliefs. Finally, we talk about differences between liberals and conservatives, and criticisms of moral foundations theory.
Time Links:
Intro
The sociology of morality
The relationship between morality and politics
Combining sociology and cultural evolution
How does cultural change occur?
Do people individually update their beliefs when faced with new information?
Do people change their political beliefs?
Differences between liberals and conservatives, and criticisms of moral foundations theory
Follow Dr. Vaisey’s work!
Follow Dr. Vaisey’s work:
Faculty page: https://tinyurl.com/4sye2str
Website: https://vaiseys.github.io/
Google Scholar page: https://tinyurl.com/bdf33few