CANTOR, CRISTOBAL M.

Foundation of Values Education

BSED II – E Values Education T-Th (9:30 – 11:00)

CLASSIFICATION OF VALUES EDUCATION

1. INTRINSIC AND INSTRUMENTAL VALUES
The distinction between intrinsic and instrumental value is one of the most fundamental and important in
moral theory. Fortunately, it is not difficult to grasp. You value many things, such as beauty, sunshine,
music, money, truth, and justice. To value something is to have a positive attitude toward it and to prefer
its existence or occurrence over its nonexistence or nonoccurrence. You can value it as an end, as a means
to some end, or both.
Intrinsic Value
There are two notions of intrinsic value. It can be:
 Valuable in itself
 Valued by someone for its own sake
If something has intrinsic value in the first sense, this means that the universe is somehow a better place for
that thing existing or occurring. Utilitarian philosophers like John Stuart Mill claim that pleasure and
happiness are valuable in and of themselves. A universe in which a single sentient being is experiencing
pleasure is better than one in which there are no sentient beings. It is a more valuable place.
Immanuel Kant holds that genuinely moral actions are intrinsically valuable. He would say that a universe
in which rational beings perform good actions from a sense of duty is an inherently better place than a
universe in which this doesn’t happen. The Cambridge philosopher G.E. Moore says that a world containing
natural beauty is more valuable than a world without beauty, even if there is no one there to experience it.
To these philosophers, these things are all valuable in and of themselves.
Instrumental Value
You value most things instrumentally, that is, as a means to some end. Usually, this is obvious. For instance,
you value a washing machine that works—purely for its useful function, or instrumental value. If there
were a very cheap cleaning service next door that picked up and dropped off your laundry, you might use
it and sell your washing machine because it no longer has any instrumental value to you.
One thing nearly everyone values to some extent is money. But it is usually valued purely as a means to an
end. It has instrumental value: It provides security, and you can use it to purchase things you want. Detached
from its purchasing power, money is just a pile of printed paper or scrap metal.

2. ACCIDENTAL AND NATURAL VALUES

Accidental Values. These arise spontaneously within a team over time, without being
cultivated by leadership. They can be beneficial, but can produce negative forces, even to the point of being
team toxic.
The concept of accidental values can be particularly important to those of us who practice in the field of
rewards because reward delivery - who and what gets reinforced with rewards - can be a key signal of an
accidental value.
For example, one leadership team realized that they had an accidental value of minimizing their investment
in front-line workers, paying their customer facing employees as little as possible. How did they discover
this? By realizing (and a credit to them for their honesty and willingness to look without flinching at their
decisions) that they had a long history of making the lowest investment in wage and structure adjustments
that would still get them in "a competitive range" for these roles.
Natural values
Throughout history, geological conditions have shaped and influenced human culture. The availability of
materials, energy and favourable land conditions have driven the development of society. For this reason,
nature and the world around us encompass a vast quantity of values related to geology.
A further aspect of geological natural values and conservation is that exploitation activities do not pose an
automatic threat to these values. Excavation and mining exposes geological formations, thus enabling
geological natural values to be uncovered. For these sites, however, it is always the task of conservation to
ensure protection against damage to valuable geological formations and to promote their management.

3. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY VALUES

Consciousness is the basic value of physical body. Only, the body has become primary and the basic value,
consciousness, has become secondary. Becoming secondary does not mean it has disappeared. No, it is
there. Only, it has become secondary. Now, that which has become secondary has now been found to be
really worthy of the first level of importance: Consciousness, consciousness, consciousness. This field of
consciousness is always primary but that has been suppressed and what has come in its place is: the body.
The body has become primary, consciousness has become secondary. When we practice Transcendental
Meditation, in the Transcendental Consciousness: Consciousness is primary, body is… non-existing, the
secondary thing, completely secondary. So, it is a matter of what is primary and what is secondary. My
work is to bring that which has become secondary to make it important again: non-change, eternity,
CANTOR, CRISTOBAL M. Foundation of Values Education
BSED II – E Values Education T-Th (9:30 – 11:00)

continuity, flawlessness, perfection. So, bring it back to memory – that’s our strength! Our strength - what
we are teaching - is nothing new. Only, we say: close the eyes and let your mind get into Transcendental
Consciousness and you’ll find a new world there… and it’s so beautiful and so enormous, so invincible, so
almighty, so fulfilling… So, it’s there, completely open.
Primary values are those that rank the highest within a particular perspective, whereas secondary values are
those that rank lower within that same perspective. Now, where primary goods and primary values tend to
converge, there is a very strong case for the priority of primary goods. Moreover, whereas this is not
logically required, it stands to reason that the two should often overlap. Thus, it would hardly be surprising
if all the perspectives involved considered freedom from hunger and freedom from torture as goods, and if
most of those perspectives considered these goods to be among their most highly valued ones.
Consequently, if a primary good is involved and if it counts as a primary value for a vast majority of the
perspectives involved, the adjudicator should be entitled to adopt the presumption that the primary good in
question is entitled to priority.
This last presumption should be rebuttable, but only on a showing that, under the particular circumstances
involved, giving priority to the primary good involved would only marginally advance the objectives of
those perspectives for which that good represents a primary value while disproportionately disadvantaging
those other perspectives that view pursuit of that good as a secondary value. Take, for example, the issue
of whether euthanasia ought to be legally permissible in a polity in which the protection and preservation
of life is a primary good and a primary value for most but not all existing perspectives. In this case, there
ought to be a presumption against the legality of euthanasia. But suppose further that the proponents of
euthanasia specify that they only support it in cases in which responsible adults in the possession of their
full mental capacities freely choose it for quality-of-life reasons, and that they believe euthanasia to be
inextricably linked to the primary value of individual control over his or her destiny. Moreover, a reversal
of perspectives would not settle this issue, for it seems safe to anticipate that opponents of euthanasia would
be as intensely committed to its prohibition as would proponents of its legalization.

4. RELIGIOUS VALUES
Religious values are ethical principles founded in religious traditions, texts and beliefs. In contrast
to personal values, religious-based values are based on scriptures and a religion's established norms.
Religious values define what people expect of themselves and of others based on the beliefs
common to the religions they practice. Such values represen t the core principles that guide
daily decision making. They help people determine which actions to take, and to make
judgments about right or wrong and good or bad. The world’s most commonly practiced
religions often have similar values, although variatio ns exist in the way some values are
prioritized over others.
Christianity
One of the most important Christian values is directly linked to the belief that all people are
made in the image of God and all members of the faith are said to be united in the Bod y of
Christ. This core belief is central to Christian teachings, which express that there is value to
be found in all people, no matter their appearance or social status. Christians are commonly
taught to respect the people around them, to help those in ne ed and to treat others as they
themselves would want to be treated.
Judaism
One religious value that is central to the Jewish faith involves learning. The principal figure
guiding followers in the faith is called a “rabbi,” which is a Hebrew word meaning “ my
teacher.” A rabbi’s principal function is not to perform rituals, but to study, continually
growing both intellectually and spiritually. The wisdom gained from his studies is then called
upon to guide community members in their own growth. A rabbi is al so a judge, in that he can
render decisions in matters relating to religious law.
Compassion is a common religious value.
Religious values define what people expect of themselves and of others based on the beliefs
common to the religions they practice. Suc h values represent the core principles that guide
daily decision making. They help people determine which actions to take, and to make
judgments about right or wrong and good or bad. The world’s most commonly practiced
religions often have similar values, although variations exist in the way some values are
prioritized over others.
Islam
Modesty is one of the most important Islamic values. Muslims believe that modesty is what
keeps people above animals. This value is often made visible through dress. Women typically
cover themselves to protect their modesty, although the degree to which they are covered in
public varies, depending on their specific beliefs. Some cover even their eyes, using veils that
leave only a small slit to look through or that include a thin section of fine mesh that enables
CANTOR, CRISTOBAL M. Foundation of Values Education
BSED II – E Values Education T-Th (9:30 – 11:00)

them to see. Men are also expected to dress modestly, covering themselves from the waist to
the knees in loose fitting and opaque clothing.
Buddhism
Compassion is a core value in Buddhism. Followers of this religion believe in the
interconnectedness of all things and the universality of suffering. Such interconnectedness
makes compassion empathetic in nature; the compassion extended to others is reflected in the
person showing that compassion. Also central to this val ue is the belief in reincarnation and
karma. Bad deeds might go unpunished in this life, but, through karma, the person performing
bad deeds might pay for them by being reincarnated as a lower form of life, such as an insect.
Being compassionate and nonviolent to all living things is returned with good karma and a
better life.

5. CULTURAL VALUES
Cultural value was assessed by disaggregating it into five components: aesthetic, social, symbolic, spiritual
and educational value. The commonly held standards of what is acceptable or unacceptable, important or
unimportant, right or wrong, workable or unworkable, etc., in a community or society.
A culture's values are its ideas about what is good, right, fair, and just. Sociologists disagree, however, on
how to conceptualize values. Conflict theory focuses on how values differ between groups within a culture,
while functionalism focuses on the shared values within a culture. For example, American
sociologist Robert K. Merton suggested that the most important values in American society are wealth,
success, power, and prestige, but that everyone does not have an equal opportunity to attain these values.
Functional sociologist Talcott Parsons noted that Americans share the common value of the “American
work ethic,” which encourages hard work. Other sociologists have proposed a common core of American
values, including accomplishment, material success, problem‐solving, reliance on science and technology,
democracy, patriotism, charity, freedom, equality and justice, individualism, responsibility, and
accountability.

6. SOCIAL VALUES
Social values are a set of moral principles defined by society dynamics, institutions, traditions and cultural
beliefs. These values are implicit guidelines that provide orientation to individuals and corporations to
conduct themselves properly within a social system.
Values are progressively formed in the lives of people and in corporate culture. They shape society’s
behavior to guarantee adequate coexistence between participants. These values provide the boundaries
between what is right and what is wrong, what is permissible, prohibited, illegal, desirable, legitimate or
punishable and, the only way they can positively function is by a collective agreement, either explicit or
implicit, that clarifies rules in a way that everybody knows and understands the boundaries.
In business, social values are essential to maintain healthy relationships between co-workers and between
the company and the society. A company that conducts itself by contradicting well-established social values
will encounter severe conflicts that will isolate the business from its consumers and it will surely lead to
disappearance, since businesses must act towards developing benefits for society. Governments and laws
are normally established to preserve social values through enforcement procedures. The judiciary system
and government institutions are therefore created to maintain society’s proper functioning.
Example
BioGenics Co. is a company that develops farming technologies to increase the speed of agricultural
processes through genetic manipulations. The company has created different methods to increase crops
resistance, size, color and glow among other factors that have a positive effect in the agricultural industry.