ABOUT VALUES
Values are fundamental beliefs that guide and motivate our behavior and actions. They help us to determine what is essential to us. Values describe the personal qualities we embody to guide our actions, the person we want to be, how we treat ourselves and others, and our interaction with the world around us. They provide general guidelines for conduct.
Values are good, desirable, and worthwhile – they are the motive behind our purposeful actions and are the ends to which we act. Personal values are beliefs about right and wrong that may or may not be considered moral. Religions or societies accept cultural values and reflect what is essential in each context.
Values are essential to ethics – they are concerned with our actions and the choice of those actions. Ethics evaluate these actions and the values that are underlying them. It determines which values should be pursued and which should not. Courage is one of those values where those who believe in courage are willing to stand up for their beliefs, even in the face of strong condemnation. Courage is a moral value when it deals with right and wrong behavior.
Value specifies a relationship between a person and a goal – it relates in the sense that what one person values may not be what another person values even in the same situation.
Values are good, desirable, and worthwhile – they are the motive behind our purposeful actions and are the ends to which we act. Personal values are beliefs about right and wrong that may or may not be considered moral. Religions or societies accept cultural values and reflect what is essential in each context.
Values are essential to ethics – they are concerned with our actions and the choice of those actions. Ethics evaluate these actions and the values that are underlying them. It determines which values should be pursued and which should not. Courage is one of those values where those who believe in courage are willing to stand up for their beliefs, even in the face of strong condemnation. Courage is a moral value when it deals with right and wrong behavior.
Value specifies a relationship between a person and a goal – it relates in the sense that what one person values may not be what another person values even in the same situation.
- For example, a person who values honesty might blow the whistle on financial wrongdoing by a superior. In contrast, another person who values loyalty may remain silent (an example of value conflict). The honest person may believe loyalty has limits, and keeping quiet about a wrongful act out of loyalty might harm others. The loyal person may believe in the importance of keeping one's confidence even if it might hurt others because of the trusting relationship.
I am a proponent of virtue ethics because it holds that moral values can be turned into excellence of character with practice and repetition. We become virtuous by being virtuous. We utilize practical wisdom to make decisions regarding what virtuous behavior is. From a virtue perspective, it is most important to distinguish intrinsic from extrinsic value. Intrinsic value has value in its own right, such as honesty and kindness, whereas extrinsic value is doing something for another reason (i.e., wealth and fame).
I believe the commitment to core ethical values is missing in society today. Everyone should strive to achieve these values, such as honesty, kindness, compassion, respect, and personal responsibility. These values are to be admired and illustrative of a person of integrity. Pierre Mouchette
I believe the commitment to core ethical values is missing in society today. Everyone should strive to achieve these values, such as honesty, kindness, compassion, respect, and personal responsibility. These values are to be admired and illustrative of a person of integrity. Pierre Mouchette