For many years, my colleagues and I have been conducting research on the development of social judgments and actions from childhood to adolescence and into adulthood. That work – some of which is discussed in this book – has shown that people in the United States and many other places form deep understandings of moral matters -of matters pertaining to people's physical and psychological welfare, to human rights, and to justice. The research also indicates that we cannot simply divide up the world into people who are more committed and those who are less committed to issues of welfare, rights, and justice. Almost everyone is committed to these issues in one way or another. And for most people, morality is not the only social concern in their lives; they are concerned with personal goals as well. Most people are also concerned with other social goals, such as matters of interdependence, efficiency, and pragmatics in social relationships.

During the time my colleagues and I were accumulating and scrutinizing these research findings, others made many claims about morality and society that do serve to divide people into categories of those who are or are not committed to all or some of the moral matters we have identified as of concern to most people. One claim is that contemporary American society is in a dire moral state, and there is urgent need for renewal, revival, and recommitment.