After reading the assigned article, I would like to discuss the topic of whether “Values, in the sense of freely chosen values, truly exist? Or are human beings instead driven by inherited instincts that we like to dress up with the term values, so that we can pretend there is a measure of choice in the process, when it is really all programmed into our genes?”
Values can be freely chosen in a sense, but are not always. I do believe that an individual can come to a point in their life where they decide to value something that they did not necessarily value before or when growing up. As people age and mature, their perceptions and views on life can vary and change as they feel it necessary to do so. For example, someone might grow up in a dysfunctional family where values such as how to treat another human being are misunderstood and misused, resulting in bad behavior by that individual. But say that individual has a friend that has a perfect family, giving that individual a sense of comfort and love and demonstrating strong family virtues and values. That individual then might decide that he or she values that comfortable and loving feeling that families are suppose to provide more than before when those values were not being demonstrated by the dysfunctional parents.
I do also believe that we as human beings also inherent instincts and morals that we like to blanket with the term “values” because we are influenced as babies in every way, shape or form. Whether its through media, personal observations, people you are surrounded by, or even your family, we are always being influenced by something. I strongly believe that an individual’s parenting techniques or how that individual was raised plays a huge role in how we determine what we actually value. So I do feel that we sometimes pretend that there is a measure of choice in the process of choosing values, when it really is programmed maybe into our head as young little kids. For example, when I was younger, my Dad’s most important value was trust. He hammered the importance of trust amongst our family in order to maintain a sustainable and healthy family lifestyle and that is something that I still hold of very high value today because thats how I was raised.
In the end I think the term “values” can have several meanings depending on how you look at it and is treated differently on a case by case basis. Having different perceptions of values is what makes us individuals unique.
So you would say that certain instincts and morals are just called “values” by people? What do you think the purpose of this is? I can relate, because I know people who call their morals their values, because they are very similar things. Do you think that calling them by the same name over-simplifies them and makes them lose their meaning or impact?
I agree that some of what makes us unique as people are the different values we all hold. Even if someone shares 99% of your values, they will interpret them in a different way or emphasize some over others in a mixture that is different to your own.
Also, how would you describe someone who joins or leaves a religion, for example, in adulthood? If values are “programmed maybe into our heads as little kids,” then what triggers that change later in life?
Overall interesting observations. I enjoyed your post!
Well said Conor, I like your straight forward approach to your argument. I agree that so many of our values are instilled in us in the developmental years of our lives. As young children we absorb everything around us like a sponge and reciprocate the with our own actions. Many of the values I hold with high value in my own life are similar to the ones my mother or grandparents would also hold high. I also agree with the notion that there are many values that we are able to choose. Lots of people grow up without all the finer things and life and do come up in tough situations, but people can make the choice to use those events to develop stronger and more positive values of their own.
My own question to your post would be about how we can differentiate between something that is instinctual and something that is a inherited or chosen value. I believe there can be some strong differences between instincts and values that can help us understand each one’s importance.
Well done, I enjoy a straight forward argument with good life examples.
Thank you for your kind comments regarding my article post! To answer your question about how we can differentiate between something that is instinctual and something that is a chosen value, in my opinion, is that your instincts tend to develop in relation to how you are individually raised and as you mature and get older. I think that instincts have to do with what you feel is natural or considered right in your opinion whereas chosen values can come about through personal observations or experience that one develops over time that become of more importance to you. I do however feel that there is some correlation between the two in the sense that your instincts can further influence you in choosing certain values that are considered highly important and almost serve as a starting point in which you base your values off of.
So in the end, I am not 100% sure if I really answered your question and hope it wasn’t confusing, but in my opinion I almost see the two correlating more often rather than differentiating.
Thanks again for the feedback!
After reading your post, I notice a great deal of similar viewpoints to my own. You begin by stating a good question in regards to the origins of values. I think a very interesting part of your discussion is how values can sometimes be made by choice but sometimes are made by other causes. In your analysis, you use the first example of someone being raised in a dysfunctional family environment, which could in turn promote unsatisfactory behavior and acting out. However, you counter this claim by stating that if the same individual is exposed to a more idyllic family environment through friendships, this individual can adjust their values and alter their perspectives of correct behavior.
I really appreciated your use of personal experience to back up the claims you made. I believe it strengthens your argument a lot. If I were to expand this claim further, I might unravel the effects of values beyond a familial level. Something to explore more might be as Lewis discusses, what exactly “sells” an individual on “a particular approach to personal values” (Lewis 16). Overall, I really enjoyed reading your insights and takeaways on the assigned reading and you make a convincing claim with good analysis.
Source:
Lewis, H. (1990). A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives. Axios Press.