Ethics and values are fundamental to being human, guiding our actions and
shaping our interactions with others, with values serving as the foundation
for ethical decision-making and behaviour.
values as they relate to being human: Values:
Values are fundamental beliefs that guide our attitudes and actions,
determining what is important to us. They can be personal, cultural, or
universal, influencing our choices and behaviours. Examples of values
include honesty, integrity, compassion, respect, fairness, and
responsibility. Values help us understand the world, interpret situations,
and make decisions.
Ethics: Ethics is concerned with human actions and the choices we make,
evaluating those actions and the values that underlie them. It provides a
framework for understanding right and wrong, good and bad, and for making
moral judgments. Ethics helps us to navigate complex situations, resolve
conflicts, and act in a way that is consistent with our values. Examples
of ethical principles include honesty, fairness, respect, responsibility,
and accountability.
The Interrelation of Values and Ethics: Values are the foundation upon
which ethical behaviour is built. Our values influence our ethical
decision-making, guiding us to act in ways that align with our beliefs.
Ethics helps us to translate our values into action, ensuring that our
behavior is consistent with our beliefs.
Importance of Ethics and Values in Human Life: Ethics and values are
essential for building strong relationships, fostering trust, and creating
a just and equitable society. They help us to understand our
responsibilities to ourselves and to others, and to act in a way that
benefits both individuals and society as a whole. By embracing ethical
principles and living in accordance with our values, we can contribute to a
more positive and meaningful world. Examples of Human Values:Love, Truth,
Right Conduct, Peace, and Non-violence Honesty, Integrity, Compassion,
Respect, Fairness, and Responsibility Loyalty, Comradery, Citizenship,
Trustworthiness Caring, Fairness, Responsibility, Accountability
The term value is ambiguous because it has been used
indiscriminately by Philosophers, Psychologists, Administrators, Political
scientists, Economists, Sociologists, Anthropologists, Engineers, Medical
Practitioners, Lawyers, and others; as a result, we must examine the word's
etymological origin to comprehend its meaning in the context of ethics.
By way of economics, the term 'value' found its way into ethics.
• It is used in economics for
1. Value in use, which refers to an object's ability to meet a human
need or desire;
2. The amount of one commodity that can be obtained in exchange for
another in terms of value in exchange.
• In general, an object is said to have value if it aids in the
fulfilment of a human need. Our core ideas or beliefs that guide our
actions are referred to as values in ethics.
• Values are acquired through knowledge, awareness, experience, or the
socialisation process. These ideas or beliefs are dear to us, and we decide
what is right and what is wrong based on them.
• As a result, values are things that are desirable and worthy of esteem
in and of themselves. Values have an intrinsic worth in terms of the
possessor's usefulness or importance.'
• Values are principles, standards, or characteristics that are thought
to be worthwhile or desirable. Good values lead to good thoughts, which in
turn lead to good behaviour.
WHAT ARE HUMAN VALUES?
• Human values are virtues (i.e. desirable character traits) that guide
us to consider the human element when interacting with other people.
• Human values are those that enable man to live in harmony with the
rest of the world. Without values, human life would be devoid of meaning,
devolving into a bland, and texture less existence devoid of distinction.
• Human values are the deepest moral aspirations of humanity, and they
are the foundation of our lives as individuals and societies.
• Human values are universal because they are shared by all people
regardless of religion, nationality, or cultural background. Human values
encourage consideration for one another.
CLASSIFICATION OF HUMAN VALUES
1. TERMINAL VALUES AND INSTRUMENTAL VALUES
• The core permanent values that often-become character traits are known
as terminal values. They can be beneficial or harmful.
• It is extremely difficult to change them. Happiness, self-respect,
family security, recognition, freedom, inner harmony, a comfortable life,
professional excellence, and so on are examples of terminal values. In
terms of existence, terminal values are desirable states of being.
• Instrumental values are a part of social psychologist Milton Rokeach's
values definition. Instrumental values, according to him, are specific
modes of behaviour. They are not an end goal in themselves, but rather a
means of achieving one.
• In a nutshell, Terminal Values are a person's life objectives – the
ultimate things he or she wants to achieve through his or her behaviour
(the destination he or she wants to reach in life), whereas Instrumental
Values are the methods he or she wants to use to achieve his or her life's
goal (the path he would like to take to reach his destination).
2. INTRINSIC VALUES AND EXTRINSIC VALUES
• An intrinsic value is something valuable in and of itself. It's a goal
in and of itself.
• Regardless of the consequences, intrinsic values are beneficial.
Intrinsic value has long been thought to be at the heart of ethical
behaviour.
• Intrinsic values include things like honesty, temperance, courage,
happiness, and peace.
• An extrinsic value is obtained through the acquisition of another
intrinsic value. It is only useful in the sense that it serves as a means
to an end.
• The ‘means-values' or 'path-values' that help achieve the end values
are things like health, money, fame, status, intelligence, and so on.
3. INSTITUTIONAL VALUES AND INDIVIDUAL VALUES• Political, social,
economic, and cultural institutions propagate institutional values.
• In a democratic society, for example, liberty becomes an institutional
value.
• Similarly, in a social institution such as marriage, loyalty becomes a
value. Individual values include both intrinsic and extrinsic values that
are significant to the person who holds them.
• Self-esteem and celebrity are examples of such values.
HOW ARE VALUES FORMED?
• People's value systems include both terminal and instrumental values,
which are developed and reinforced by both the culture in which they grow
and the environment in which they live.
• Individuals form values as a result of socialisation from their
parents, religious institutions, friends, personal experiences, and
society.
• Individual values are influenced by our religious beliefs, social
systems in place, and, to some extent, socioeconomic conditions.
• The terminal values develop over time, whereas the instrumental values
are influenced by circumstances.
FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN VALUES
• Basic inherent values in humans are truth, honesty, loyalty, love, and
peace, among others, because they bring out the fundamental goodness of
human beings and society as a whole.
• Furthermore, because these values are unifying in nature and cut
across individuals' social, cultural, religious, and sectarian interests,
they are regarded as universal, timeless, and eternal, and apply to all
people.
ROLE OF FAMILY AND SOCIETY IN INCULCATING VALUE
• The role of the family and society in the development of a child's
moral values is critical. Parents and children have a close relationship,
which influences the child's personality. Values are built on the
foundation of the family.
• Moral values such as honesty, happiness, peace, and justice are
instilled in the thoughts, feelings, and actions of children, and they
serve as ideals and standards that guide their actions in life. If young
family members are systematically taught moral values, the value system
practised in the family becomes automatic to them.
• The family shapes a child's attitude toward people and society,
assists in mental development, and supports the child's goals and values.
• The development of love, affection, tolerance, and generosity in the
family will be aided by a happy atmosphere. A child learns to behave by
imitating what he sees in his environment.
• Family plays an important role in helping a child socialise and has a
significant impact on the child's development. The presence of elders in
the family, as well as the joint family system, plays an important role in
the social and moral development of children. It will also assist the
family's younger generations in imbibing human values and overcoming
negative mental tendencies when they are with their elders.
• Children identify with their parents and other family elders, adopting
them as personal role models to emulate and imitate. Because they spend the
majority of their adolescence with their parents, behavioural problems can
only be corrected by family involvement in the child's life.
• Family is the first social organisation from which a child can learn
his behaviour because of its proximity. A child's emotional and physical
foundation is defined by the social standards and customs defined by his or
her family.
• The values that a family instils in its children form the foundation
for how they learn, grow, and function in the world. These beliefs
influence how a child grows up and develops into an individual in society.
These values and morals guide an individual's actions at all times. Because
of the values taught and given by his family members, children grow up to
be good people.
• Family values are ideas passed down from generation to generation. The
family's customs and traditions lead to a disciplined and organised way of
life.
• The values of the family enable the child to stand firm in his beliefs
despite attempts by others to persuade him otherwise. A child who has a
strong sense of right and wrong is less likely to fall prey to deviant
influences.
METHODS OF PROMOTING VALUES IN FAMILY
1. Promoting fundamental values such as tolerance, love, sympathy,
nonviolence, sympathy, and companionship, as well as Dharma.
2. Positive Attitude and Constructive Actions: Suppressing negative
actions while enhancing positive ones.
3. Family peace and harmony: To eliminate dominance, we must ensure
family peace and harmony.
4. Improving social life and equality through cleanliness, a good home
environment, hygiene, and good health.
5. Food is shared and eaten together.
6. Gentleness, good manners, cooperation, and respect for women and
elders.
7. Offering prayers to one's god and respecting the beliefs of others.
8. Participating in and enjoying family gatherings.
The larger society has an impact on character development, responsiveness,
and resilience.
The income level, education level, culture, national ideology, mass media,
and other factors all play a role in the development of an individual's
value system.
An ideal society promotes opportunity-
a. To each individual's physical, intellectual, and moral development.
b. To discover our potential.
c. To mould people's opinions, beliefs, morals, and ideals.
d. To instil values such as hard work, honesty, tolerance, national
integration, secularisation, and responsibility.
e. To reject negative values such as dowry, Casteism, communalism,
alcoholism, and drug use.
f. To improve the quality of life by ignoring social tensions, unrest,
prejudices, and other factors.
g. To ensure justice and equality for the nameless, faceless, and
voiceless.
h. To cultivate individual and group discipline.
ROLE OF EDUCATION
• Education has always been regarded as the most powerful weapon in
every era and society. As a result, when assessing the role of educational
institutions, the following factors should be considered.
• Values transmission should not infringe on the learner's freedom and
autonomy.
• Education can transmit refined knowledge at a rapid rate.
• Educational institutions are primarily responsible for the development
of personality, preservation of culture, promotion of social justice,
scientific temper, democracy, and secularism, among other things.
• Educational institutions assist in the perfect development of
reasoning, the creation of checks and controls on impulses, the development
of a focused approach to life, and the promotion of the value of human
excellence.
FOR INCULCATING VALUES MANY EDUCATIONISTS HAVE SUGGESTED DIFFERENT IDEAS
SUCH AS:
1. Providing a curriculum that is based on values
2. Creating a unique teacher orientation programme
3. Foundation courses with a strong emphasis on value
4. Values-based literature publication
5. The requirement for teachers and students to develop a code of
conduct
6. Instilling a philosophical outlook on life in teachers and students.
• To instil values in future generations, we will create a curriculum
based on our accumulated cultural heritage.
• Children are members of a small society at school that has a
significant impact on their moral development. Teachers serve as role
models for students in the classroom, and they play an important role in
instilling ethical behaviour in them.
• Cheating, lying, stealing, and consideration for others are all
encouraged by peers at school.
• Despite the existence of rules and regulations, educational
institutions informally instil value education in children. They are
crucial in the development of ethical behaviour in children.
• Teachers play a critical role in the development of children's value
systems.
ROLE OF A TEACHER:
a. A teacher's personality and value system have an impact on students'
minds and hearts.
b. To instil civic awareness, patriotism, and discipline in students.
c. The teacher is the central figure in higher education, in whom the
university sees its past glory and builds its future dignity around him
d. To instil a balanced viewpoint in students, a teacher must be
constantly learning, researching, and criticising.
e. Commitment to society, profession, excellence, and basic human values
such as impartiality, objectivity, and intellectual integrity, among
others.
LIST OF HUMAN VALUES AND SUB-VALUES
1) Right-Conduct
2) Peace
3) Truth
4) Manners
5) Patience
6) Truthfulness
7) Awareness
8) Concentration
9) Honesty
10) Responsibility
11) Positive
12) Fairness
13) Independence
14) Self-acceptance
15) Trust
16) Perseverance
17) Self-discipline
18) Reflection
19) Courage
20) Contentment
21) Determination
22) Love
23) Non-violence
24) Kindness
25) Consideration
26) Forgiveness
27) Stewardship
28) Generosity
29) Justice
30) Compassion
31) Respect
32) Tolerance
33) Cooperation
34) Service
35) Harmlessness
THE ABOVE ARTICLE APPEARED IN A UPSC PAPER AND THAT GAVE A WIDE AMBIT OF
KNOWLEDGE LEADING TO ETHICS. AND ETHICS IS NOT THAT SIMPLE AAS SAID
"Ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do and
what is right to do," according to Potter Stewart, • “What you have the
right to do” refers to legal rights, constitutional freedoms, and societal
norms.
• “What is right to do” encompasses moral considerations, social
responsibility, and personal values.This distinction is vital in various
contexts:
1. Governance and public service: Officials must balance legal authority
with ethical responsibility. For instance:
– Implementing policies (legal) vs. ensuring equitable outcomes (ethical)
– Following bureaucratic procedures (legal) vs. addressing urgent public
needs (ethical)
2. Business and corporate ethics: – Maximizing profits (legal) vs.
ensuring fair labor practices (ethical)
– Exploiting tax loopholes (legal) vs. contributing fairly to society
(ethical)
3. Personal and social spheres: – Exercise of free speech (legal) vs.
respectful communication (ethical)
– Property rights (legal) vs. environmental stewardship (ethical)
Ethical decision-making, transcending mere legality, is essential for
creating a just, harmonious society and ensuring good governance.
It is a political decision travelling in between the dharmic and
legality. FOR GOING BY DHARMA PEOPLE ARE DISINTERESTED; FOR LEGALITY
BEHAVIOUR THAT IS NOT THEIR CUP OF TEA. HENCE, ETHICS AND VALUES ARE VERBAL
RATHER THAN IMPLEMENTING PRAGMATICALLY. 33 QUALITIES MUST BE IMBIBED AS
SHOWN ABOVE. DHARMIC ACTION MAY NOT BE LEGAL; LEGALITY IMPLEMENTATIONS MAY
NOT BE DHARMIC. HOWEVER, BOTH ARE RIGHT. AND ETHICS AND VALUES ARE
INTERPRETED IN DIFFERENT SECTORS, IN DIFFERENT PATTERN. IN SHORT, THEY ARE
MISUNDERSTOOD BUT SAID VOCIFEROUSLY.
K RAJARAM IRS 29325
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