A value is anything a person or persons see as good, desirable, important, or worthwhile.
Examples given: health, family, love, money, and fun.
Important clarification: a value doesn't exist without someone valuing it; there aren’t free-floating values in the world.
Whenever we talk about a value, we can also talk about who values it.
The class's approach to values
The instructor emphasizes that the course does not teach you what to value or claim a universal list of “the most important values.”
The course explores values as expressed through reading assignments and through reflection on one’s own values.
The focus is on values as held by a person or a group, not on presenting values as universal truths.
Questions the class will explore include:
What are this author’s values based on what we’ve read?
What are your values?
What are your family’s values? What are your classmates’ values?
Values are important because they play key roles in decision making: in family, culture, society, and politics.
When you form and defend a moral view, you’re doing so based on your values.
All writings in ethics refer to values that express the author's values.
The activity: pause and read an author’s excerpt, then consider what the author values; later slides reveal the expected answers.
How to identify an author’s values (first practice)
Prompt: based on the author’s writing, what do they value?
Example from the slide (first practice):
Claimed values: animals, prevention of suffering, vegetarianism, and morality.
Reasoning: the author’s main contention is that morality requires vegetarianism, which suggests these values.
Evidence used: quotes such as "The animals people use for food can feel pain just like we can" and "When we can prevent suffering, we should." which support valuing animals and the prevention of suffering.
Key takeaway: identify the author’s main contention (the core claim they defend) and the reasons given for that claim; look for keywords that reveal values.
Important caveat about keywords: you can’t just pick any keyword from a text and call it a value.
Example given: if you only say that pain or eating meat are bad, that does not automatically identify the author’s value, because those words signal topics or concerns, not values themselves.
Second practice and a different set of values
Another quote exercise yields values: academic integrity, completing work without AI assistance, complying with syllabi, educational process, learning, and institutional credibility.
The author’s main contention in this second example: students must comply with syllabi and not use AI when AI use is prohibited.
Reasons tied to this stance: preserving academic integrity, learning, the learning process, and institutional credibility.
Conclusion drawn: these reasons show the author values those things.
Wrong answers (not values): plagiarism, AI usage, breach of academic integrity. These are mentioned as problems or negative outcomes, not values.
How to express a value in writing
Important tip: express a value using a noun or a noun phrase, not a full sentence.
Examples of values written as noun phrases:
"animals"
"learning"
"education"
"prevention of suffering"
"livestock animals"
"syllabus compliance"
If you write a value as a full sentence (e.g., "animals can suffer" or "vegetarianism is morally required"), that’s a claim or statement, not a value in this field.
Two basic categories of values
Nonmoral values: things we simply like, desire, or prefer; they are valued but do not have moral value.
Examples: chocolate, a favorite blue T-shirt.
Moral values: things that are morally good, morally obligatory, virtuous, etc.; valued because of their moral relevance.
Examples: honesty, family, fairness.
People have a set of values that guide their decision making; these sets can be depicted as their core values.
Sets of values and how people can differ
Displayed examples: Emma’s set of values vs Henry’s set of values.
Both Emma and Henry value some of the same things (overlap), such as financial stability and family, but they also have values that the other does not share.
Differences in values can lead to different decisions even when there is overlap.
Important: two people can share values but interpret them differently.
Emma might define financial stability as a middle-class lifestyle with no debt or credit cards; she might want to buy a house with cash.
Henry might define financial stability as paying rent on time every month, with no problem having credit cards if he can pay the bill each month.
Similarly, conceptions of spirituality or god can differ:
Emma might associate spirituality with Buddhist meditation groups.
Henry might associate spirituality with attending church three times a week for years.
Family can also be interpreted differently:
For Emma: husband, two children, and friends.
For Henry: extended family across generations, including great aunts/uncles, nieces, nephews, and a larger clan.
These differences illustrate that meanings of values can vary by person and context.
Value rankings
People often rank their values by importance, which shapes decisions.
Emma and Henry may share many values but prioritize them differently, leading to different life choices.
The existence of overlapping values with different rankings explains why people can act differently despite agreeing on what matters.
Recap / Key takeaways
What values are and how they function in decision making.
How to identify an author’s values in text and explain your answer.
How to express a value using noun phrases and avoid using full sentences.
Distinction between nonmoral and moral values.
The concept of a value set and how individuals may overlap yet interpret and prioritize values differently.
The idea of value rankings and how they influence decisions.
Connections to broader themes in ethics
Values ground moral arguments and justify why certain positions are defended.
Understanding authors’ values helps in evaluating ethical arguments and their persuasive power.
Recognizing value expressions helps in clearer communication and avoids mislabeling criticisms as values themselves.
Practical takeaways for examination
When asked to identify an author’s values, locate the main contention and the supporting reasons, then extract noun-phrase values from those reasons.
Distinguish between values (noun phrases) and the statements or actions that express disapproval or critique (which may be problems or wrong conclusions).
Be prepared to compare two individuals’ value sets, noting overlaps, differences, and how rankings affect decisions.
Practice with short quotes: determine the values implied and explain why those values are highlighted by the author.