Hello readers,
I enjoyed this weeks reading. As an accounting major, I haven’t explored value systems in such depth before. The author wrote, “Ultimately, of course, nobody can ever be objective” (Sorting It Out 17). This point really resonated with me. The author was talking about how it is impossible to explore value systems without bias because inevitably each person will reason and explore from a given perspective based on there on values and mental modes. Although this may have been a minor point in the scheme of the entire discussion, I thought it was profound. In my experience the author is correct. Similar to what the author is describing, I think it is impossible to truly understand another person or identify with their thought processes and value systems. In my experience, this is most prevalent during an argument. People often say to “put yourself in their shoes”. But that isn’t really possible, is it? You need to understand a person’s thought processes based on their mental modes and values. However, you cannot achieve this objectively because your evaluation is coming from an inherently different perspective based on your own unique mental mode composition and values. You cannot understand someone’s thoughts and values through your own different thoughts and values.
The author also wrote, “Personal values matter a great deal. Without them, we cannot live at all… Without clearly focused values, it is probably impossible to lead a purposeful and satisfying life” (Sorting It Out 18). I don’t necessarily disagree with this claim, I just don’t think it is possible not to have values. Even if someone is depressed or struggles to find joy in things, they must place different significance and importance on things, which means they must have values. Inevitably one must use the mental modes in some combination, which would lead them to some set of values. This was another minor point within the scheme of the paper, but one that stood out to me.