Philosophy of Values and Goods

Values and Goods

• Values qualify life and are objective and immutable
• Goods, on the other hand, are subject to change and individual preference.

Immutability of Values

• Values, especially higher values, call upon the person to act according to them.
• Failing to act on a value destroys the person, not the value itself.
• Justice as a value necessitates being just.

The Ambiguity of Values

• Values are immaterial and define our life's quality.
• They act as instigators of action, prospects for commitment, and standards of behavior.
• Values represent criteria for aesthetic appreciation and economic utility.

Universality of Values

• A value presents itself as a goal, and upon reaching it, gives way to another demand.
• Values form a horizon for life, generating an ought-to-be and ought-to-do.
• They ground our obligations, beliefs, ideals, and attitudes, without being identical to them.

Experiencing Values

• Values are experienced through human beings and their capacity for self-determination.
• The human being, as a person, transcends nature and can direct their own life.

The Uniqueness of Human Acts

• Three acts uniquely characterize the human person:
  • Hsueh (learning)
  • The act of reflection and making oneself the object of thinking
  • The act of ideation or abstracting an essence from existence
  • The act of loving

The Beginning of Philosophizing

• It can start with wonder, doubt, or a sense of helplessness.
• Philosophizing arises from the human condition as openness to reality and responsibility.
• It's engaging with the mystery of being and searching for meaning.

Meaning of Sagehood in Eastern Tradition

• Philosophy is the pursuit of harmony with oneself, nature, others, and God.

Philosopher as Lover of Justice and Peace

• Justice involves a vision of the totality of situations and respect for human dignity.
• Peacemaking reconciles conflicting forces within and outside oneself.

The Value of Philosophy

• Philosophy awakens us from spiritual slumber and our take-for-granted attitude.
• It sensitizes us to holistic, critical, and evaluative reflection.
• Philosophy attempts to see the totality of human experience, providing a vision.
• It invites us to be integrative, urging us to be moral persons of integrity.

Integrative Function of Philosophy

• Philosophy does not impose, but arises from the freedom of the philosopher as a human being.
• It urges us to be persons of integrity, where speech, feelings, thinking, and action are aligned.

Love and Hatred

• They are movements of the heart towards values.
• Love directs us to higher values, while hatred directs us to lower ones.

Hierarchy of Values

• Values are organized in a hierarchy:
  • Sensory Values (pleasant/unpleasant, technical, luxury)
  • Vital Values (noble/vulgar, civilization)
  • Spiritual Values (justice/injustice, truth/falsehood, beauty/ugliness)
  • The highest values are the holy and unholy.
• Spiritual and holy values refer to our being a person or spirit.

Moral Values

• Good and evil are realized through actions.
• A deed is good if it prefers a higher value over a lower one.
• A deed is evil if it prefers a lower value over a higher one.

The Value of Philosophy (Western)

• The Western tradition associates philosophy with wisdom.
• Pamimilosopo can also refer to pedantry and a narrow focus on concepts.
• To philosophize originally meant passionately seeking wisdom and loving it.

Eastern View of Philosophy

• The Hindu word for philosophy is "darsana," meaning "to see" with one's whole being.
• The Chinese tradition calls it "cheh-hsueh."