After reading our assigned reading, there was one question that stayed with me, which I would like to bring attention to. That question is: what factors create the incessant quarrelsomeness of human values? The opening paragraph explains how an objective observer would view the plant we live in, “by the unpredictability, the almost madcap complexity, and the incessant quarrelsomeness of human values” (Lewis 3). The constant quarrel of human values is particularly interesting to me, because it is so prominent in the world we live in today.

As the reading explains on page six, we all have different values and it can be difficult to define values in order to compare and contrast them. Different values cause humans to constantly decide between which value matters more to them, which contributes to the incessant quarrelsomeness of human values. For example, two of the values I posses are family and speaking my mind. These two values usually function well together, but there are times when I must decide which value matters more to me. If one of my family members does something that makes me upset I usually want to speak up and let them know how I feel. However, I must decide if speaking up is worth the potential argument that might occur.

Another cause for the quarrelsomeness of human values is the way we arrive at knowledge. The reading explains the most basic ways we come to know something, “In any case, it should become clear on reflection that there are very few interior mental modes through which we come to “believe” or “know” anything, indeed only four, and there may be summarized as follows: sense experience, deductive logic, emotion, and intuition” (Lewis 9). The reason these interior mental modes cause for quarrelsomeness is due to the fact that they can contradict each other. For example, my intuition could be telling me to eat the fourth piece of candy because I unconsciously want to, but my deductive logic could be telling me that since I already had three pieces, I might be better off not eating the fifth piece. This happens often given I enjoy candy, but I usually don’t get too crazy with it.

Lastly, I believe the constant growth of technology in the world causes humans to question, and even sometimes forget, their values. With the rise of social media and other technological devices, humans often compare themselves to others. This causes humans to change or forget who they are and what values they truly believe in. Too many of my friends are so concerned with the newest thing or mainstream media that it seems many of them have forgotten whom they are as a person in order to try and be something they are not. This is difficult to witness, but life is a learning process and I’m sure they will figure out their values as they grow up.

Lewis, H. (1990). A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives. Axios Press.