CHAPTER 7: UNIVERSAL VALUES
7.1 Values
Values are individual beliefs that motivate people to act one way or another. They serve
as a guide for human behavior.
Generally, people are predisposed to adopt the values that they are raised with.
People also tend to believe that those values are “right” because they are the values of
their particular culture.
Ethical decision-making often involves weighing values against each other and choosing
which values to elevate. Conflicts can result when people have different values, leading
to a clash of preferences and priorities.
Some values have intrinsic worth, such as love, truth, and freedom. Other values, such
as ambition, responsibility, and courage, describe traits or behaviors that are
instrumental as means to an end.
Still other values are considered sacred and are moral imperatives for those who believe
in them. Sacred values will seldom be compromised because they are perceived as
duties rather than as factors to be weighed in decision-making. For example, for some
people, their nation’s flag may represent a sacred value. But for others, the flag may just
be a piece of cloth.
So, whether values are sacred, have intrinsic worth, or are a means to an end, values
vary among individuals and across cultures and time. However, values are universally
recognized as a driving force in ethical decision-making.
7.2 Universal Values
(UN, Acutely Needed, Secretary-General Says at Tubingen University, Germany)
1. Peace
2. Freedom
3. Social Progress
4. Equal Rights
5. Human Dignity
The values of peace, freedom, social progress, equal rights and human dignity, enshrined
in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are
no less valid today than when, over half a century ago, those documents were drafted by
representatives of many different nations and cultures.
The Universal Declaration, in particular, has been accepted in legal systems across the
world, and has become a point of reference for people who long for human rights in every
7.1 Values
Values are individual beliefs that motivate people to act one way or another. They serve
as a guide for human behavior.
Generally, people are predisposed to adopt the values that they are raised with.
People also tend to believe that those values are “right” because they are the values of
their particular culture.
Ethical decision-making often involves weighing values against each other and choosing
which values to elevate. Conflicts can result when people have different values, leading
to a clash of preferences and priorities.
Some values have intrinsic worth, such as love, truth, and freedom. Other values, such
as ambition, responsibility, and courage, describe traits or behaviors that are
instrumental as means to an end.
Still other values are considered sacred and are moral imperatives for those who believe
in them. Sacred values will seldom be compromised because they are perceived as
duties rather than as factors to be weighed in decision-making. For example, for some
people, their nation’s flag may represent a sacred value. But for others, the flag may just
be a piece of cloth.
So, whether values are sacred, have intrinsic worth, or are a means to an end, values
vary among individuals and across cultures and time. However, values are universally
recognized as a driving force in ethical decision-making.
7.2 Universal Values
(UN, Acutely Needed, Secretary-General Says at Tubingen University, Germany)
1. Peace
2. Freedom
3. Social Progress
4. Equal Rights
5. Human Dignity
The values of peace, freedom, social progress, equal rights and human dignity, enshrined
in the Charter of the United Nations and in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, are
no less valid today than when, over half a century ago, those documents were drafted by
representatives of many different nations and cultures.
The Universal Declaration, in particular, has been accepted in legal systems across the
world, and has become a point of reference for people who long for human rights in every
