For this week I read over the article titled, “A Question of Values: Six Ways We Make the Personal Choices That Shape Our Lives,” and my overall opinion of this reading was that it all kind of made sense to me. It was an eye-opening article of which I had never really taken the time to actually sit down and think about the term “Value,” and what it actually means and how it comes about in people’s decision-making.
One thing that I found myself agreeing with was the statement made saying, “Perhaps we are not driven by immutable instincts. But we might still be controlled by the influence of genes on our underlying personality or, alternatively, by peer pressure, by the relentless demands of the society in which we happen to live.” I would agree with this statement because I do believe that even though we are unable prove this statement, I as a prime example have seen myself doing these sorts of decision makings based off of being driven by those that surround me. I have seen myself multiple of times around my friends agreeing to do something that they are doing because I am driven by their decision-makings and often controlled by the influence of my genes. If my genes or my gut feeling is telling me to do something, then more often then not I am going to do it.
On a personal note relating to this article, it is in my opinion that I believe peoples values depend on their genes and the type of environment that they grew up on. For example, if a kid grows up with parents who truly believe that getting a college education is the only path and they push him to that path, then more likely then not that kid will end up going to college based on the values that his parents had plugged into him at a young age. Values is something that I believe is perhaps already built inside of someone’s genes, or something that they grow up around and given from the people around them.
Hi Tyler,
My name is Tribecca and I am in your group for this term. I really enjoyed reading your post, as it was easy to follow. You bring up a valid point in your first statement, “I… have seen myself doing these sorts of decision makings based off of being driven by those that surround me” because we do live simultaneously with others and in making any decision, we are impacted and impact everyone around us. Therefore, it is right to say the people we surround ourselves with may influence our values. You somewhat contradict yourself following that point though- “If my genes or my gut feeling is telling me to do something, then more often then not I am going to do it.” So you say that those around you influence your values but then you ultimately say your values are concrete with what your gut says. Are you trying to say that values stem from both your innate nature and your environment?
If so, that would make sense because two people growing up in the same household with the same external environments may grow up to become completely different people. Say this happens, maybe it’s a chemical or hormonal imbalance in their systems that make them react to situations differently, thus their values are different from one another regardless of the same environment they grew up in. What factors do you think affect our values then? If values stem from basic human instincts (that everyone has) and our environment (which some people can share the same external environments), what makes our values especially different from everyone else at that micro level?
Hi Tribecca,
I believe that alot of what people influence you with that surround you growing up sometimes becomes part of your gut feeling or first instant reaction to something. So if I grow up believing in one thing due to someone raising me that way, and later on during a situation that may bring up that belief, I feel as if my gut feeling and decision making will have to do with what I was raised to believe. But to answer your question about where our values stem from, overall I do believe that some of our base values and what we start out with come from our environment we grew up around until we reach a point in our life to where we start believing in ourself and our own actions then our inner self comes out and start making decisions based on both.
To answer your question regarding what factors affect our values, I would have to say that I believe that religion plays a large role in peoples values. Doesn’t necessarily mean just religion but I also believe those that believe in either a higher power or also believe in a certain system to where they abide by certain rules is what determines alot of peoples values. What makes everyones values different from eachother is the genes that are developed as time goes on and the different decisions that people make.
I think I agree with your statement. People values depend on their ends and they type of environment that they grew up on. As for Chinese I think I agree with that. When we was young, the parents want us to do get higher education. So we study very hard and do many exercises. We took many exams. Grade can decide everything. Different people will have different value. In this article that author said that “ The term values is a relatively recent one and is sometimes dismissed as a piece of barbarous jargon. So we have different feelings. We always say that the child is father to the man. So gene and environment are very important. Some time we should follow with our heart. When you do something, you should have passion. In addition, friends will influence you. I think that’s why parents want us to make good friends. Personal value have insist different elements.
Hi Tyler
My name is Binglu and I am in your group in this term. For myself I am kind of agree with your post that mention “On a personal note relating to this article, it is in my opinion that I believe peoples values depend on their genes and the type of environment that they grew up on”. People’s behavior will influence by their background and impacted by people around us, but this is not the only way they arrive at the value. As you were said in the post that “Values is something that I believe is perhaps already built inside of someone’s genes, or something that they grow up around and given from the people around them.” If people are live in a same family, if they are brother or sister, they have similar genes and similar grow up environment, however, they may have totally different value. Maybe there have another factors to influence their value or thinking. It’s hard for me to define its range, maybe just a critical thinking about value.
I would have to agree about how some brothers and sisters may have different values. I believe that they may start out with the same values because of what their parents had instilled in them, but over time they will differentiate as they grow up and start to develop a mind of their own and start making their own decisions based on what they may believe in at the time.
Hi Tyler,
I am very happy to read through your post regard to art. My name is Dylan. I am very glad to be your teammate in this art class. I am agree with your point that “values is something that I believe is perhaps already built inside of someone’s genes, or something that they grow up around and given from the people around them.”
Different people will have different kind of value, which is influence by your parents and all the people around you. I had the same kind of experience with you, I also always effect by my friends decision. Such as what should we do in weekend and what should we eat tonight? However, I think big decision making should do by ourselves. We can receive suggestion from other people.
However, this is one point that I disagree with you. As you said “I believe peoples values depend on their genes.” I have different kind of opinion. I think people’s believe and value may change depends on the age and things that happened around him. As your example, “a kid grows up with parents who truly believe that getting a college education is the only path and they push him to that pat.” I can tell a story about myself. Before I came to America, I think I have to get graduate degree. However, at the time I almost graduate from university and I change my idea. If I go graduate school immediately, I will lose myself because I do not know what major I should study. I should go to work first and try to find what I need in future.