We explain what moral values are. Also, how they were conceived from Kant's ideas and their influence on human behavior.
What are moral values?
Moral values are fundamental principles that guide judgment about what is considered right or wrong from an ethical perspective. . Like ethical values, but in the moral field, they fulfill the function of being a model of behavior, and have an ideal character.
Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) argued that moral values are “moral ideas of practical perfection.” Beyond Kantian claims of universalism, the truth is that each society, in each given time and place, puts into practice different moral values depending on the context.
The question about the nature of values, that is, whether they change or should always remain the same, is a matter for the ethics as a philosophical discipline, and of morality as a field of practical study of ethics itself.
Frequently asked questions
What are moral values?
Moral values are the fundamental principles of morality.
How have moral values been conceived since Kant's ideas, and how do they influence human behavior?
Kant thinks that moral values are regulative maxims, which function as a model for moral behavior. Moral values can guide people's actions and choices, affecting their behavior in the pursuit of moral ideals and desirable practices.
What does axiology study and what is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic values in philosophy?
Axiology studies the nature of values and evaluative judgments. Distinguishes between intrinsic values (good in themselves) and extrinsic values (valued for reasons external to themselves).
The morality
Morality is the branch of philosophy that studies the set of beliefs, customs, norms and values of a society. We also talk about morality to refer to individual or collective behavior.
The word “moral” comes from Latin mor either diewhich means “custom” or “character.” In Greece, the set of customs that made up the ethical character of people was called moral.
Beginning in the Middle Ages, however, a distinction began to be made between theoretical morality and practical morality. Both are related to the idea of behavioral regulation.
For Immanuel Kant, an 18th century German philosopher, morality acts according to an autonomous principle, which works by itself. From this principle the character of moral value emerges.
Moral value according to Kant
Kant introduces the concept of value from Ethics, distinguishing “observance” and “valuation” from morality. “Valuation” considers practical ideas such as virtue and the “highest good,” summarized in the moral law. in his book Foundation of the metaphysics of customsKant identifies “valuation” with “moral value” or moral character.
For Kant, value acquires a moral character in practical action. Moral values are models or rules of moral action, with a dignity price rather than a market price. Moral values are “moral ideas of practical perfection”, emphasizing wisdom and holiness as regulative examples.
Moral values and axiology
Moral values, the subject of debate in ethics and philosophy, are fundamental principles that guide moral and aesthetic judgments in human behavior. Throughout history, philosophers such as David Hume (1711-1776) have argued that moral values have no intrinsic reality and are simply subjective expressions with no real meaning. In contrast, thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) have argued that values have an impact even on scientific questions and everyday observations.
However, based on the ideas of Immanuel Kant, moral values have been conceived as regulative maxims and desirable practices that direct moral behavior. The term “value” has its roots in Greek axios which means “worthy of appreciation” or “estimable.” These regulative ideals may vary depending on the subjectivity of people, but they are also influenced by the communities and societies in which they develop. Concepts such as “kindness”, “sincerity”, “humility” and “responsibility” are transmitted from generation to generation and have been maintained throughout the history of humanity, which reinforces their collective and shared character.
In the field of axiology, which is the branch of philosophy that studies the nature of values and evaluative judgments, the distinction between intrinsic value and extrinsic value is explored. An extrinsic value is one that is considered good for reasons external to itself, while something with intrinsic value is valued for its own sake. Within this discipline, there are monistic theories that defend that there is only one type of intrinsic value, such as hedonism.
References
- Aristotle (2011). Nicomachean ethicsin Pallí, J. (trans.), Aristotle (RBA ed., volume 3), Gredos.
- Kant, I. (1977). Critique of pure reason. Porrúa.
- Kant, I. (2020). Critique of practical reason (Vol. 1). Verbum Publishing.
- Bilbeny, N. (1992). How to think about moral values based on Kant? Taula: thought quaderns21-26.
- Bergson, H. (1998). The two sources of morality and religion. Technicians.
- Carrión, A. (2008). The sense of value, or the value in question. Universities10, 43-57.
- Hoyos Valdés, D. (2015). Aesthetic value and moral value. Dissertations4, 1-10.
