Discover Your Understanding of Human Values

Human Values: A Summary

• Aristotle believed that the ultimate good of man is an aggregate of goods that help him attain happiness in life.
• Values are things that satisfy human needs and are identical to what is good, according to Aristotle.
• Anything that enriches our experience of life is a value, including people, relationships, feelings, objects, events, opportunities, professions, works, travel, and states of being.
• The meaning we assign to events constitutes their values, and some things have intrinsic worth, such as science, art, technology, customs, traditions, rites, and ceremonies.
• Values relate to our ultimate purpose, which is to achieve happiness in life, according to Aristotle.
• Good actions are authentic values and bring happiness, whereas immoral actions are "apparent values" that bring unhappiness.
• Morally good actions are values that bring happiness, and immoral actions are values that bring unhappiness.
• There are four kinds of values: biological, psychological, intellectual, and moral.
• Values are not equal in their respective worth, and moral values are held as more important than the others.
• The hierarchy of values refers to the ranking of values from lowest to highest, with biological values at the base, psychological and intellectual values in the middle, and moral values at the summit.
• Moral values correspond to spiritual development and rank the highest in the hierarchy, constituting moral integrity.
• Values enrich our experience of life, bring happiness, and provide a means to achieve happiness.