Understanding the Rise of Culture Wars: History, Morality, and Beliefs

Over the past fifteen years, the term culture wars has become a fixture in Western public discourse, referring to a diffuse yet persistent conflict between social groups with irreconcilable worldviews. These ideological clashes span a wide range of issues: minority rights, gender equality, environmentalism, religion’s role in society, freedom of speech, and the use of technology. They manifest on social media, at the ballot box, in the streets, and even on the international stage, where powerful civilizational blocs (Russia, China, the Muslim and African worlds) reject so-called “Western values.”

To grasp the deeper roots of this intensification, we must draw on multiple interpretive frameworks from complementary disciplines: historical anthropology (Graeber & Wengrow), moral and evolutionary psychology (Haidt), sociology of collective beliefs (Bronner), as well as political science and social psychology. These approaches converge on a shared explanation: culture wars are not accidental deviations but contemporary expressions of ancient human dynamics—linked to identity differentiation, fundamental moral logics, and competition for meaning.

Schismogenesis as a Driver of Collective Differentiation

In The Dawn of Everything (2021), David Graeber and David Wengrow reinterpret human history by emphasizing the concept of schismogenesis, borrowed from anthropologist Gregory Bateson: a process of reciprocal and conscious differentiation between neighboring groups. Two culturally similar collectives gradually accentuate their differences through a mirror effect, often antagonistically.

Graeber and Wengrow show that prehistoric and protohistoric societies did not only diverge due to ecological constraints, but also through political and symbolic choices. For example, some northeastern Native American societies adopted egalitarian and participatory structures in explicit contrast to their hierarchical neighbors. Similarly, in prehistoric Europe, some populations established seasonal deliberative institutions, opposing others that favored hereditary chiefdoms.

This mechanism sheds striking light on contemporary antagonisms. Russia’s rejection of the West—its discourse on Western “moral decadence” (cultural liberalism, LGBTQ+ rights, individualism)—is less a spontaneous reaction than a conscious differentiation: asserting political and civilizational identity in opposition to a powerful cultural neighbor. China, for its part, emphasizes stability, authority, and civilizational continuity against Western “democratic instability.” The Muslim world often contrasts values of piety, modesty, and communal cohesion with perceived atheism and Western hyper-individualism.

Schismogenesis is thus not a historical accident—it is a recurring anthropological mechanism. In a globalized world where models circulate instantly, differentiation dynamics accelerate, radicalize, and become explosive.

The Psychological Foundations of Division: Moral Foundations Theory

In The Righteous Mind (2012), Jonathan Haidt proposes an evolutionary theory of human morality. According to him, morality is composed of several universal foundations:

• Care and protection from harm
• Fairness and reciprocity
• Loyalty to the group
• Respect for authority
• Purity and sanctity
• Liberty against oppression

Individuals and cultures prioritize some foundations over others. Western liberals emphasize care, fairness, and individual liberty, while conservatives value loyalty, authority, and purity more. This divergence explains the political polarization seen in many Western democracies—especially the United States—and also international ideological conflicts.

Examples include:

• Debates on abortion or LGBTQ+ rights mobilize, on one side, the moral foundations of care and liberty, and on the other, those of purity and religious authority.

• The China/West confrontation reflects a clash between Western individual freedom and Chinese collective cohesion and hierarchical respect.

• Islamist discourse on Western moral decay expresses a heightened defense of purity and communal loyalty.

Haidt thus shows that culture wars are not mere misunderstandings but stem from deep moral intuitions inherited from human evolution, which shape our judgments and political choices differently.

The Attention Economy in the Age of Social Media

Sociologist Gérald Bronner, in his work on rationality and collective beliefs (La démocratie des crédules, Apocalypse cognitive), emphasizes how the human cognitive space is exploited by narratives, ideologies, and beliefs. In an information-saturated world, the most attractive ideas are not necessarily the truest, but those that exploit our cognitive biases: preference for the spectacular, outrage, conspiracy, and moral scandal.

Social media amplifies this phenomenon, fostering polarization and radicalization. Individuals become trapped in “cognitive bubbles” that reinforce their belief systems. Culture wars thrive in this environment: beliefs like “the West wants to impose its ideology,” “elites are lying,” or “traditional values are under threat” spread with increased virality.

Bronner also explains why fake news and simplistic narratives flourish: they offer immediate moral clarity, whereas nuanced facts require cognitive effort. Today’s ideological clashes exploit this dynamic—reducing the world’s complexity to a battle between Good and Evil, mobilizing emotion before reason.

An Anthropological and Sociological Perspective: Wars of Meaning

Combining insights from Graeber, Haidt, and Bronner reveals a broader picture. Culture wars are not mere political debates—they are wars of meaning, where incompatible worldviews collide. They follow three deep-rooted logics:

• Identity schismogenesis: conscious and antagonistic differentiation between collectives (West vs Russia/China/Islam, liberals vs conservatives).

• Moral divergence: differing hierarchies of moral foundations, making arguments mutually unintelligible.

• Cognitive competition: an information-saturated market that favors emotion, radicalism, and simplistic beliefs.

These wars of meaning also reflect anxiety over global transformations (climate change, AI, migration, inequality). In a rapidly changing world, identities retract, simplistic narratives gain ground, and divisions intensify.

Contemporary Examples

• United States: The Black Lives Matter movement and the counter-slogan All Lives Matter illustrate internal schismogenesis. One side emphasizes care and fairness; the other, national loyalty and rejection of perceived “particularism.”

• France: Debates on secularism and the Muslim veil show a clash between republican universalism (loyalty to the nation, authority of law) and identity recognition (care and religious freedom).

• Russia: Legislation against “LGBT propaganda” is framed as a bulwark against supposed Western contamination, asserting an alternative civilizational project.

• China: The discourse on “social harmony” and rejection of political pluralism is presented as protection against democratic chaos.

These examples illustrate the interplay of the three explanatory levels: voluntary differentiation, moral divergence, and cognitive amplification.

Understanding to Defuse?

Culture wars are the contemporary expression of an ancient anthropological dynamic: the human need to define oneself in relation to an Other. They are rooted in divergent moral foundations and amplified by a cognitive marketplace that favors outrage.

Can they be defused? The task is immense. Haidt suggests expanding our understanding of moral foundations to better engage with those who prioritize different values. Bronner advocates for critical education to resist the cognitive seduction of simplistic narratives. Graeber and Wengrow remind us that human societies have always had the capacity to reinvent themselves—by consciously choosing new forms of coexistence.

The future of democracies and international relations may depend on our ability to transform these wars of meaning into dialogues of meaning—a challenge as old as humanity, but made urgent by planetary interconnection.

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References

Graeber, David & Wengrow, David. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity. 

Haidt, Jonathan : The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion. 

Bronner, Gérard :  La démocratie des crédules; Apocalypse cognitive.