Paul Bohannan famously noted that the only suitable English equivalent for conscience collective is the anthropological term “culture.” In the French context, this term encompasses three distinct dimensions:
- Internalized sanctions
- Awareness
- Perceived culture
The Role of Culture in Social Solidarity
The conscience collective was pivotal in Durkheim’s work (1893/1964) because it connected the patterns of social solidarity to the processes of enculturation within a society. It acts as the “glue” that determines how an individual relates to the group.
Comparison: Conscience Collective across Solidarities
The properties of the conscience collective shift dramatically as a society moves from Mechanical to Organic solidarity.
| Feature | Mechanical Solidarity | Organic Solidarity |
| Individual Relation | The individual consciousness is a microcosm of the collective. | Individual consciousness is distinct and autonomous. |
| Psychological Hold | High intellectual and emotional hold over the individual. | Reduced hold; higher degree of personal freedom. |
| Rigidity | High Rigidity: Behaviors are strictly required or prohibited. | Low Rigidity: Constant debate over values and behaviors. |
| Primary Content | Dominantly Religious and supernatural. | Dominantly Secular, political, and economic. |
The Evolution of Religious Influence
Durkheim observed a historical trend of “religious withdrawal” as societies become more complex.
- Primitive State: Religion is synonymous with the social; it pervades every function of life.
- Modern State: Political, economic, and scientific functions achieve autonomy and take on a temporal (secular) character.
The Conclusion: A Scientific Study of Religion
Durkheim (1964:169) dramatically highlighted that while God “progressively withdraws” from human disputes in modern times, religion remains a fundamental social fact.
Durkheim’s critique of the lack of a “scientific notion of what religion is” led him to write his next classic, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, which transformed the systematic study of belief systems.