MORALIZATION AND BECOMING A VEGETARIAN - THE TRANSFORMATION OF PREFERENCES INTO VALUES AND THE RECRUITMENT OF DISGUST

We describe a rather common process that we call mor alization, in whi ch objects or activities that were previously morally neutral acquire a moral component. Moralization converts preferences into values, and in doing so influences cross-generational transmission (because values are passed more effectively in families than are preferences), increa ses the likelihood of internalization, invokes greater emotional respo nse, and mobilizes the support of governmental and other cultural inst itutions. In recent decades, we claim, cigarette smoking in America ha s become moralized. We support our claims about some of the consequenc es of moralization with an analysis of differences between health and moral vegetarians. Compared with health vegetarians, moral vegetarians find meat more disgusting, offer more reasons in support of their mea t avoidance, and avoid a wider range of animal foods. However, contrar y to our prediction, liking for meat is about the same in moral and he alth vegetarians.