Universal Values

Prepared by: Zenaida B. Valiola

What is Universal Value?
● "value" means something that a person or a group believes has a
value that merits being sought, promoted, or privileged.
● This can be:
○ a thing-money, food, art
○ a state of mind -peace, protection, certainty
○ a behavior that results from those things or states of
mind-protecting innocent people, telling the truth, being
creative
● A value is not the same as a desire.
● To desire something means wanting a thing without much
reflection on it
● It might come from an instinct, urge, or physical need.
● Value on the other hand, may originate in a desire or a series of
desires, but a value arises after reflection on whether or not the
thing one desires is good.
● Every individual will value certain things, states of minds or
behaviours as these relate to his or her upbringing and social
context.
● Every community will privilege certain things, states and
behaviours as a result of its geographical location, historical
trajectory, or ideational background.
Universal Values
● A value is said to be universal if it applies to all and holds a
value that is the same to everyone.
● The claim for universal values can be interpreted in two
different ways, as follows:
1. It could be something that has a universal value when
everybody finds it valuable.
2. Something can have universal value if all people have reason
to believe that it has value
● To claim that there are universal values, however, means
seeking to uncover something that applies across all persons and
communities as a result of their very humanity.
● These can be represented by Aristotle among others
● Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) is considered one of the three great
philosophers of Ancient Greece.
● For Aristotle, to understand the virtue of the human person
means looking for those activities which the best people do and
which make them happy.
● He argued that there are two activities that differentiate human
beings from all other animals:
○ humans think and humans live in political communities.
● Aristotle concluded that the best possible person is one who
engages in two types of activity:
○ critical reflection (intellectual virtues)
○ political activity (practical virtues)
● Aristotle believed that people need to be educated into the
virtues.
● Individuals might desire many things which they believe will
make them happy-wealth, food, drink, sex, or power.
● Each of these is important but all of them, on reflection, need to
be enjoyed in moderation in order to become truly valued.
● Only by using our rationality for thinking and creating a
community in which thinking is encouraged, and in which
education is valued, can universal values flourish (Shields, 2016).
Basic Universal Human Values
1. Happiness – it refers to good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.
Under the notes on Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, “happiness
or flourishing or living well is a complete and sufficient good.
This implies that it is desired for itself, that it is not desired for
the sake of anything else, that it satisfies all desire and has no
evil mixed in with it, and that it is stable
2. Peace – is a freedom from disturbance; tranquility.
● It is a state or period in which there is no war or a war has
ended.
● A state of mutual harmony between people or groups
especially in personal relations:
○ Example: live in peace with your neighbors.
3. Freedom – is the state of being free or at liberty, freedom
from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering
conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking,
etc., according to choice.
4. Safety - is the state of being safe; freedom from the
occurrence or risk of injury, danger, or loss.
5. Intelligence – is a capacity for learning, reasoning,
understanding, and similar forms of mental activity; aptitude in
grasping truths, relationships, facts, meanings, etc.
6. Respect - a formal expression or gesture of greeting, esteem, or
friendship: deference to a right, privilege, privileged position, or
someone or something considered to have certain rights or
privileges; proper acceptance or courtesy; acknowledgment:respect
for a suspect's right to counsel; to show respect for the flag; respect
for the elderly.
7. Equality – is the state or quality of being equal; correspondence
in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability: promoting equality of
opportunity in the workplace.
8. Justice – is the quality of being just; righteousness,
equitableness, or moral rightness: to uphold the justice of a cause.
9. Nature – is the material world, especially as surrounding
humankind and existing independently of human activities.
10. Health – is the general condition of the body or mind with
reference to soundness and vigor: good health; poor health.
soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease
or ailment to have one's health; to lose one's health.
The Human Dignity
● It refers to bearing, conduct, or speech indicative of self-respect
or appreciation of the formality or gravity of an occasion or
situation.
● It is the importance and value that a person has, that makes
other people respect them or makes them respect themselves.
● Dignity is earned and cannot be taken away from anyone.
● It must be preserved so that the respect of others is maintained.
● Any act or action to be done by an individual will be reflected in
his or her personality
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