I want to start this post by saying I thought this was an interesting paper, and I’ve never really thought about ‘values’ specifically.  I guess it’s one of those things we use everyday but don’t think a lot about, like breathing.  It’s a complicated process, but for us, it is so simple we don’t even think about doing it.

Moving on to the paper itself.  I agree with the majority of this paper (I know that’s really vague, but it is true).  While I was reading it, I understood how the author was thinking and where these questions and points were coming from.  It just clicked for me. I could write a huge paper on my opinion of this paper but I won’t bore you with all the jumbled thoughts in my head… just a few:

The first thing I just want to touch on is the actual definition of “values”.  What does it actually mean?  In the paper it states that the term “values” should be “synonymous with personal evaluations and related beliefs, especially personal evaluations… about the ‘good,’ the ‘just,’ and the ‘beautiful,’ personal evaluations and beliefs that propel us to action, to a particular kind of behavior and life”(page 7).  It doesn’t give us an actual definition however.  It’s difficult to say what values are without saying the actual values themselves.  Bottom line I want to say here is that values really cannot be defined specifically, therefore it can be hard to prove that they actually exist in a society. (If you know what I’m trying to get at please comment and maybe explain what it means to you because it’s hard for me to get what I’m thinking onto paper! Could always use a little peer help!)

The second thing I want to talk about is this question: “Are human beings instead driven by inherited instincts, 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?”(page 7).  This is a loaded question, and I don’t think we will ever know the precise answer.  However, I will give you my answer: No.  I don’t think that we cover all instincts with values to pretend we have a choice.  I believe that humans have certain instincts that we can’t control, and we have some that we can.  It all depends on our values and the choices we make because of those values.  I think the author does a good job in the next section explaining a possible answer to this debate: “Perhaps we are not driven by immutable instincts. But we night still be controlled by the influence of genes on our underlying personality or,…, by peer pressure, by the relentless demands of society in which we happen to live”(page 8).  I cannot agree more with the author here, mainly because this answer is a compromise so both sides are happy.  I think our society, people, and even ourselves, shape who we are and the choices we make.  Therefore, all of those things can influence our values and how we think of them.  Some people may have more values than others, and some may not even believe in them at all.  I think everyone has their own opinion about values and none are either right or wrong.

Sorry if any part of this is confusing! Please feel free to comment and ask any questions!