PHILOSOPHY OF VALUES

Lecture Notes_June 22, 2019

Don St epherson V. Calda, Ph.D.

1. Man is not only an animal; he is person. No ot her cor poreal substance is

a person because he has the gif t of insight (intellect) and volition ( will).

2. The self is the f irst and most f undamental of values. Man’s actions are
values because they are the r esult of int ellect and will, motivated towards
something desirable.

3. Kinds of values:
a. Biological values that are necessar y to the physical sur vival of ma n as
an organism ( lif e and health, f ood and shelter, work)
b. Social values that are necessar y to the sensual and self -f ulf illment
(leisure and sex, marriage , f amily and home, parental authorit y,
educat ion)
c. Rational Values that are necessar y to the f unction and f ulf ilment of the
intellect and will (understanding and control of nature, guide and control
of oneself , solidar it y with f ellowmen, religion)
d. Moral Values as a qualitat ively determ ined value - in-itself which has a
normative character and presupposes t he libert y of possible decision to
eff ectuate real value in concrete acts of var ying degree ( Rintelen,
2013).
e. Religious values are those which pertain t o man’s relat ionship with God.
f . Cultural values are t hose man shares wit h others in a given communit y
of persons, shaping their spir itual kinship and direct ing their attention
to def inite ideals of behavior.
g. Social values are those that are necessary f or the promotion of human
societ y as a whole, integrating the motivation and interest of members
towards the common objective of goal.

4. Characterist ics of Moral Values:

a. Moral values are g oods having intr insic qualities of desir abilit y.
(Intrinsic comes f rom within)
b. Moral values are universal i.e. t hey appeal to man as man and to
man as a specif ic individual.
c. Moral values ar e obligatory. They come as a natural dut y, because
possession of them is expect ed as an integral qualit y to man as
rational creature dir ected by natural powers towards truth, beaut y
and goodness.

5. Choosing our values – neither is it poss ible to incorporate all values at the
same time in our lives:
a. Ever y man has to choose his values based on his intrinsic wor th.
b. Values f avored by a greater number of people must be pr eferred
(discipline over personal f reedom)
c. Values that are essential must be pref erred over those t hat are
accidental (healt h over beaut y)
d. Values that have greater sat isf action m ust be pref erred over those
that provide short -lived pleasure (artistic hobby over f anatical
devot ion to K Pop st ars)