Chapter 10 - The Human Values

The ultimate good man consists of an aggregate of virtuous that would help him attain happiness in
this life.

Thus anything which contributes to man's development, comfort, and well-being is a value.

The meaning of values

A values is anything that satisfies human needs.

It is identical to the "good" of Aristotle. This means that anything that enriched mans experienced in life
is a value, (growth and reached his potential) such as: person, relationship, feeling, object, place, event,
opportunity, profession, work, travel, or a state of being (good health, happiness). Therefore, one's life
and beliefs are values.

The significance of Values

Our ultimate happiness in this life consists in the sum of earthly good essential to us.

In this manner, values relate to our ultimate purpose, to that which would make us completely happy.

In this respect, our actions are significant because they are how we attain happiness. Good actions are
those that brings happiness. Evil actions are those that brings unhappiness.

Morally good actions are authentic values, while immoral actions are apparent (deceptive) values,
which mean evil in disguise as good.

These evil acts often promise pleasure or profit; however, they leads to pain and misery.

Remember that immoral actions do not fit human nature, in this sense immoral actions are contrary to
natural law.

Kinds of Values

1. Biological Values
 These values are necessary for the physical survival and growth of man, such as; food, shelter,
pleasure, sex, sports, career, health, and medicines.
2. Psychological Values
 These values are necessary to the psychological maturation of man, such as; companionship,
friendship, marriage, family life, and social interaction.
3. Intellectual Values
 These values are necessary to the mental fulfilment of man, such as truth, science, art, and
religion.
4. Moral Values
 These values are necessary for the development of character.

More so, we also speak of cultural values - those that are shared in the community such as, ideals,
laws, customs, beliefs, rituals, and ceremonies. Some values are described as religious, economic,
and aesthetic.
The Hierarchy of Values

Values are not equal in their respective worth. Since from the time of the Greek philosophers to the
present, moral values are held as more important than the others. The hierarchy of values refers to the
ranking of values from lowest to highest.

Social Dimension of Values

 The authenticity of values consists in their being shared with others.

 The higher a value goes up the ranking the more it becomes altruistic.
 The lower values are seen as competitive and egotistic because they tend towards the accumulation
of material possession which man finds difficult to share with others.
 Thus, men would not easily share food and would wage war to defend or acquire the source of food.
 On the other hand, the psychological value of love tends itself to sharing with others. Friendship, for
instance, is possible only with mutual respect and care.
 The nature of intellectual value is also altruistic.
 People find it easy to talk, to communicate, and to share the news. Knowledge lends itself to sharing.
Thus, tinkers share their thoughts, inventors share their inventions, teachers share their skills and
knowledge, and artists share their artworks.
 Moral values are even more meaningful because it allows man to live with others in peace and
harmony.
 The virtue of charity and justice are the foundation of society. No society would be possible where
men do not have goodwill towards one another.
 Just as a child grows up with the parents, a human being grows and becomes an authentic person
only in the community with others.
 This is what God means when He said "It is not good for man to alone; I will give him a helper who
will be like him". Gen. 2:18.
Moral Values

 Moral values are those that functions of the intellect and the will - choices, decisions, actions, and
habits.
 Moral values relates to our spiritual growth.

o Strictly speaking, only those related to spiritual growth are moral values.
o But in the context of human integral perfection - all values whether biological or social, acquire
moral significance

 For instance, eating becomes the object of temperance, so that overindulgence in food is gluttony.
 Again while eating is a necessity, the act of fasting is also required for a medical, political, religious,
or moral purpose.
 In this sense, every human activity has a moral dimension and, depending on one's motive

Characteristics of Moral Values

1. They have intrinsic worth - This means that moral values are in themselves good, they are
independent from our opinion of them.

2. They are universally accepted by all people - In this manner, no one would find fault in helping
the needy, or testifying the truth of something, or working honestly for a living.

3. They are obligatory - This means that a person, when so capacitated, is duty-bound to do what is
good when the situation demands it

Choosing Values

Since values have relative worth, a person has to choose those which are relevant to him/her

1. Permanent or lasting values must be preferred over temporary or perishable ones. - For
example, education is objectively better than leisure; moral habit better than physical strength.

2. Values favored by the majority must be preferred over those appealing only to a few. - For
example, marriage is better than staying single; wealth is better than staying poor.

3. Essential values must be preferred over accidental values. - For example, a good reputation is
better than being pretty; attending to parental duties better than involvement in social gatherings or
parties.

4. Moral values must be preferred over physical values. - For example, the practice of religion is
better than sports; feeding the orphans is better than spending money luxuriously.

Moral habits

 Moral character is the sum of man's good habits.

 Habit comes from the Latin word "habere" which means -to have or to possess.
 Man's habits are either entitative or operative.

> Entitative habits predispose a man to acquire a certain nature or quality, like being healthy, being
beautiful, being intelligent, or being rich.
> Operative habits predispose a man to act readily towards a purpose, like singing, dancing, playing
basketball, or helping others.

 The operative habit of doing well is called virtue, but that of doing evil is vice.
 Virtues about, mental or intellectual operations are called intellectual virtue;
 Those about of the will are called moral virtues.

Moral Virtues

> There are four kinds of moral virtues, namely; prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.

1. Prudence - enables a person to know the best means to employ in attaining a purpose.

- A prudent person weighs the pros and cons of the situation and acts with reasonable caution.

2. Justice - inclines a person to give to everyone what is due.

- A just person pays his legal debts, honors his elders, observes the laws of society, and worship
God.

3. Fortitude - gives a person the strength of the will to face dangers and problems in life.

- Person of fortitude is not easily discouraged and is ready to stand by what is right.

4. Temperance - moderates a person's instincts and emotions.

- A temperate person is not given to inordinate anger, jealousy, desire or love.

Intellectual Virtues - There are four kinds of intellectual virtue namely; understanding, science, art,
and wisdom.

1. Understanding

- is the habit or intuition of the first principles, such as "the whole is greater
than the sum of any of its parts." Another example, that doing well is better than doing bad. In other
words, this is what we called common sense or initiative.

2. Science

- is the habit of proximate cause, why things are such because of their nature or
natural properties. Thus we have different sciences in different fields of study.

3. Art

- is the habit of making beautiful things, such as in literature, architecture, and fine arts.

4. Wisdom

- is the habit of the ultimate cause, such as the interdependence of created

things in the eco-system; or how the negative emotions of man - like hatred, anger, or sadness are not
signs of weakness but are instincts for self-preservation and growth.