My Current Values
My Current Values
What Are Values?
The Oxford Reference defines values as:
“A set of ethical beliefs and preferences that determine our sense of right and wrong.”1
Similarly, the Cambridge Dictionary offers a concise definition:
“the beliefs people have, especially about what is right and wrong and what is most important in life, that control their behaviour.”2
In essence, values represent the foundational aspects of what I consider good and right. I often notice a confusion between values and goals, so I'd like to clarify the distinction I see:
A goal is a specific achievement you aim for. For example, running a marathon in under 4 hours.
A value, on the other hand, is an inherent belief or preference. Using the previous example, the value might be the belief that staying fit and living healthy is good.
I like to think of values as the direction we're heading toward, and goals as the concrete destinations along this path. Imagine hiking north; you'll pass through different cities along the way. "North" represents the set of ethical beliefs and preferences regarding right and wrong that you already possess, like living a healthy life, and your destinations are day-to-day goals, like exercising. Failing to exercise one day, or even for a week or a month, does not alter your underlying value of living a healthy life. Values are attributes you possess, not achievements you seek.
Prerequisites for the Existence of Values
For values to exist, certain prerequisites must be met:
Existence of Moral Categories: There needs to be a distinction between concepts such as right and wrong. Without these categories, the foundation for ethical beliefs and preferences would not exist.
Freedom of Choice: We must possess some level of freedom to choose our actions. If we were incapable of choosing between options A or B, it would be meaningless to prefer one over the other. This ties closely to the concept of free will.
Both of these topics are quite complex philosophical discussions. For now, I want to keep things simple and will not go into detail. The reality in which I live distinguishes between right and wrong and holds me accountable for my actions. For example, if I were to steal or assault someone, I would be brought to court and face sentencing. This legal framework reflects a broader societal consensus on certain values.
My Current Values
Here is a list of my current values. I emphasize "current" because the direction I walk can change over the years, from north to north-northwest.
Some parts of this list might seem cryptic. Each of my values will be elaborated on in separate articles to explain what I mean by them and why. That's what I plan to do over the next few months, and I will continuously update each value with links to these articles. But for now, this is just an acknowledgment of my values, not a defense of them.
My life is meaningful. I reject nihilism.
There are categories such as "good and bad", or "right and wrong". “Life is better than death, health is better than sickness, abundance is better than want, freedom is better than coercion, happiness is better than suffering, and knowledge is better than superstition and ignorance.”3
Every person has a certain degree of freedom of choice. Within this freedom, they have responsibility for their actions. This concerns how they choose to spend their time and money, how they behave and what they choose to think about.
Every person is capable of good and bad acts. I, too, am capable of helping people, but also of causing them suffering.
The basis of morality regarding “right and wrong” is the capacity of beings to feel and thus their overall individual wellbeing. I want to emphasize the individual. It's not about groups; a group cannot feel. It's about the wellbeing of each individual within that group. A term for this attitude regarding humans is “Humanism.” The minimum standard is outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which I support.
Every human life is of equal moral value. It does not matter where this person is located.
Other sentient beings, like non human animals, also have moral value. It’s therefore wrong to make them suffer or even kill them without significant reason.
Future sentient beings have moral value. I consider it wrong to cause climate change that will reduce the wellbeing of future generations or to let another pandemic collapse civilization.
There is a principle of cause and effect. I flip the switch; the light turns on.
The world is extremely complex. Not all cause-and-effect relationships are this straightforward. Consider climate change: the cumulative effect of billions of seemingly insignificant actions (like driving a car or using electricity) contributes to a global phenomenon that impacts weather patterns, ecosystems, and human societies.
We, as humans, can (at least in principle and partially) understand the connection between cause and effect.
Through science and its principles humans come closest to understanding the world, though this understanding is limited to the quality of our hypotheses.
Humans can err in interpreting this connection. When there is new evidence, we should update our beliefs. This is the reason I want to be humble about my opinions and epistemology. I strive to find a balance between having a clear opinion and the willingness to change it when new data comes in.
Progress occurs when we apply our understanding of cause and effect to improve the wellbeing of sentient beings. For instance, advances in Artificial Intelligence have the potential to cure diseases or, conversely, to pose significant risks when applied to weaponry like drones.
Humans are capable of progress.
Human behavior is influenced by both nature and nurture, meaning our genetic makeup and our environment. While we can partially change 'who and how we are,' our capacity for change is limited.
Humans are social animals who seek community and appreciation.
There are flaws in human nature that make it hard to get the best “wellbeing level” for ourselves and all others. One example is how hard it is to save for our own retirement.
Humans are capable of reason, and we can act rationally, meaning to achieve our goals in the most efficient and effective ways.
Everyone should take time to reflect on one's own values. We should not just adopt the values of those around us without reflecting on them. Use your own reasoning.
Values and beliefs change over time. Hold your identity lightly.
Try your best to live up to your own consciously chosen values.
Be ambitious and cost-effective when doing good. Too often, our efforts to do good are self-limited and lack ambition. Much potential is lost in this way.
Try to be precise in your speech. Words like "often," "high chance," "unlikely" mean different things to different people.
Do not belittle yourself. Your feelings, opinions, and reasoning do count. You can actively shape our future!
I want to treat myself like a friend.
For me, the most important thing is how I feel; for everyone else, it's how I act. I strive to have an absolutely amazing life myself, a 10 out of 10. And atop that, I am ambitiously committed to doing good for other sentient beings!
This list is not exhaustive, but I think it covers my most important values.
Never Reaching "North"
Values are "a set of ethical beliefs and preferences that determine our sense of right and wrong." They guide you, like a compass guides you in one direction or another. However, you will never "reach north." Updating my beliefs when new evidence emerges is one of my core values. Yet, this doesn't mean I manage to act according to this value every day. If I update my stance on a topic one day, it doesn't guarantee that I will adhere to this value the next. We all fail to stick to our own values many times in our lives, and so will I in this blog. Therefore, I've created an "Updates & Mistakes" page, where I will attempt to reflect on this on an ongoing basis. But even if I stumble occasionally, these values are the foundation and motivation for actively engaging in shaping a future, which I will write about in my next post!
https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803115129166#:~:text=A%20set%20of%20ethical%20beliefs,Also%20known%20as%20value%20system.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/values
Quote by Steven Pinker: Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
I love to know more about whats going on in your mind. This is really inspiring already.