Universal Human Values Handout 1 of 5
Introduction to Value Education
Need for Value Education
All human beings aspire for a happy, fulfilling life. For a human being, there are two important
questions pertaining to this:
• What is my aspiration? (What to do?)
• How to fulfil my aspiration? (How to do?)
The purpose of education is to facilitate the development of clarity on the aspiration and adequate
competence to actualize it.
For this, it is essential to understand what a happy, fulfilling and successful life is – what is really
valuable for human being; what is our purpose as a human being? Understanding human aspiration, or
what is really valuable for human being, is the value domain. The subject which enables us to understand
this domain is called ‘Value Education’ (VE). It enables us to understand our aspirations and visualise
our goals for a fulfilling life and indicates the direction for their fulfillment. In relation to these issues,
it also helps to remove our confusions and contradictions. In that sense, VE addresses the issues related
to ‘what to do?’.
It is also necessary to learn the skills to actualise our aspirations. This is the skill domain. The subject
which enables us to learn the skills is called ‘Skill Development’ (SD). It enables us to learn the science,
technology, management and other skills for fulfilling our aspiration. In that sense, SD addresses the
issues related to ‘how to do?’.
Values and skills go hand in hand. Both values and skills are required. There is an essential
complementarity between the two. The priority is values, then skills; i.e. first understanding ‘what to
do’ and then developing the skills for ‘how to do’. And of course, checking if this results into a fulfilling
life!
The present education system has largely become skill-biased. For developing skills, the prime
emphasis is on science and technology, without a base of values. Skills can only help to provide the
means to achieve what is considered valuable. It is not within the scope of science and technology to
provide a way to decide what really is valuable. The consequence of skill-biased education is clearly
visible in the form of serious crises at the individual, societal and environmental level. Thus, there is a
strong need to rectify this situation. Value education is a crucial missing link in the present education
system.
But more importantly, the prime need of value education is to understand human aspirations, to discover
what is truly valuable in life; and work out the program for its fulfillment.
Guidelines for Value Education
For any input to qualify for Value Education, the following guidelines for the content of the course are
important:
Universal: It has to be universally applicable to all human beings for all time and all places. This implies
that values should not change according to sect, creed, nationality, gender, etc.
Rational: It has to appeal to reasoning; and not be based on dogmas or blind beliefs. It has to be open
to address the related questions. It cannot be a set of sermons or do’s and don’ts.
Natural and Verifiable: It has to be 'naturally acceptable' to the human being and there needs to be every
provision in nature for its fulfillment. It needs to be experientially verifiable, and not based on dogmas,
beliefs or assumptions. It is not merely an intellectual exercise or information transfer.
All Encompassing: It needs to cover all dimensions (thought, behaviour, work and understanding) and
levels (individual, family, society and nature/existence) of human life.
1
, Universal Human Values Handout 1 of 5
Introduction to Value Education
Leading to Harmony: It ultimately needs to promote harmony within the individual, among human
beings and with the entire nature.
Content of Value Education
The value of an entity is its participation in the larger order of which it is a part. The context is
always the larger order. Value has to do with the participation of a unit in the larger order. E.g. a piece
of chalk is a unit. The classroom is the larger order for this unit. The value of chalk is that it can be used
to write on the blackboard for the desired functioning of the classroom.
The value or role of a human being is its participation in the larger order. E.g. my role in living with the
other human being is to ensure the feeling of respect in the relationship. Interestingly, I feel happy in
fulfilling my role; and it is fulfilling for the other as well!
This value is worth understanding, worth thinking about, worth living. The value of human being is to
ensure mutual fulfilment in the larger order1, i.e. in the entire nature/existence, but starting from within
themselves, then extending in their family and in the society.
Hence, to understand human values, we need to study the human reality along with all that is there in
the entire nature/existence which constitutes the larger order. We need to explore and understand things
as they are; so that we are able to recognise and fulfil our participation with them.
That means the content or scope of study has to be all encompassing, i.e.
• It has to cover all dimensions of human being – thought, behaviour, work and realisation.
• It has to cover all levels of human living – individual, family, society, nature and existence.
Accordingly, the content of Value Education has to be to understand human being, human aspirations,
happiness; understand the goal of human life comprehensively; understand the other entities in nature,
the innate inter-connectedness, the harmony in the nature/existence and finally the role of human being
in this nature/existence.
Continuous Happiness and Prosperity as Basic Human Aspirations
Whatever we think, whatever we do is with some end state in mind. That end state is our basic aspiration.
When you ask yourself:
• Do I want to be happy?
• Do I want to be prosperous?
• Do I want the continuity of happiness and prosperity?
The answers are in affirmative yes. We have a natural acceptance for continuity of happiness and
prosperity. These are our basic aspirations.
The word ‘order’ is used interchangeably with the word ‘harmony’, throughout
1
2
Introduction to Value Education
Need for Value Education
All human beings aspire for a happy, fulfilling life. For a human being, there are two important
questions pertaining to this:
• What is my aspiration? (What to do?)
• How to fulfil my aspiration? (How to do?)
The purpose of education is to facilitate the development of clarity on the aspiration and adequate
competence to actualize it.
For this, it is essential to understand what a happy, fulfilling and successful life is – what is really
valuable for human being; what is our purpose as a human being? Understanding human aspiration, or
what is really valuable for human being, is the value domain. The subject which enables us to understand
this domain is called ‘Value Education’ (VE). It enables us to understand our aspirations and visualise
our goals for a fulfilling life and indicates the direction for their fulfillment. In relation to these issues,
it also helps to remove our confusions and contradictions. In that sense, VE addresses the issues related
to ‘what to do?’.
It is also necessary to learn the skills to actualise our aspirations. This is the skill domain. The subject
which enables us to learn the skills is called ‘Skill Development’ (SD). It enables us to learn the science,
technology, management and other skills for fulfilling our aspiration. In that sense, SD addresses the
issues related to ‘how to do?’.
Values and skills go hand in hand. Both values and skills are required. There is an essential
complementarity between the two. The priority is values, then skills; i.e. first understanding ‘what to
do’ and then developing the skills for ‘how to do’. And of course, checking if this results into a fulfilling
life!
The present education system has largely become skill-biased. For developing skills, the prime
emphasis is on science and technology, without a base of values. Skills can only help to provide the
means to achieve what is considered valuable. It is not within the scope of science and technology to
provide a way to decide what really is valuable. The consequence of skill-biased education is clearly
visible in the form of serious crises at the individual, societal and environmental level. Thus, there is a
strong need to rectify this situation. Value education is a crucial missing link in the present education
system.
But more importantly, the prime need of value education is to understand human aspirations, to discover
what is truly valuable in life; and work out the program for its fulfillment.
Guidelines for Value Education
For any input to qualify for Value Education, the following guidelines for the content of the course are
important:
Universal: It has to be universally applicable to all human beings for all time and all places. This implies
that values should not change according to sect, creed, nationality, gender, etc.
Rational: It has to appeal to reasoning; and not be based on dogmas or blind beliefs. It has to be open
to address the related questions. It cannot be a set of sermons or do’s and don’ts.
Natural and Verifiable: It has to be 'naturally acceptable' to the human being and there needs to be every
provision in nature for its fulfillment. It needs to be experientially verifiable, and not based on dogmas,
beliefs or assumptions. It is not merely an intellectual exercise or information transfer.
All Encompassing: It needs to cover all dimensions (thought, behaviour, work and understanding) and
levels (individual, family, society and nature/existence) of human life.
1
, Universal Human Values Handout 1 of 5
Introduction to Value Education
Leading to Harmony: It ultimately needs to promote harmony within the individual, among human
beings and with the entire nature.
Content of Value Education
The value of an entity is its participation in the larger order of which it is a part. The context is
always the larger order. Value has to do with the participation of a unit in the larger order. E.g. a piece
of chalk is a unit. The classroom is the larger order for this unit. The value of chalk is that it can be used
to write on the blackboard for the desired functioning of the classroom.
The value or role of a human being is its participation in the larger order. E.g. my role in living with the
other human being is to ensure the feeling of respect in the relationship. Interestingly, I feel happy in
fulfilling my role; and it is fulfilling for the other as well!
This value is worth understanding, worth thinking about, worth living. The value of human being is to
ensure mutual fulfilment in the larger order1, i.e. in the entire nature/existence, but starting from within
themselves, then extending in their family and in the society.
Hence, to understand human values, we need to study the human reality along with all that is there in
the entire nature/existence which constitutes the larger order. We need to explore and understand things
as they are; so that we are able to recognise and fulfil our participation with them.
That means the content or scope of study has to be all encompassing, i.e.
• It has to cover all dimensions of human being – thought, behaviour, work and realisation.
• It has to cover all levels of human living – individual, family, society, nature and existence.
Accordingly, the content of Value Education has to be to understand human being, human aspirations,
happiness; understand the goal of human life comprehensively; understand the other entities in nature,
the innate inter-connectedness, the harmony in the nature/existence and finally the role of human being
in this nature/existence.
Continuous Happiness and Prosperity as Basic Human Aspirations
Whatever we think, whatever we do is with some end state in mind. That end state is our basic aspiration.
When you ask yourself:
• Do I want to be happy?
• Do I want to be prosperous?
• Do I want the continuity of happiness and prosperity?
The answers are in affirmative yes. We have a natural acceptance for continuity of happiness and
prosperity. These are our basic aspirations.
The word ‘order’ is used interchangeably with the word ‘harmony’, throughout
1
2
