Values in the Theory of Human Constants
Contents
Introduction
Values are among the most important elements shaping individual and social human behavior. Humans do not act based only on material needs and calculation of profit and loss; they also make judgments about what is right, wrong, desirable, undesirable, just, unjust, important, or unimportant.
In the Theory of Human Constants, values can be understood as part of the mechanism of the constant of meaning that affects human behavior and relationships and through which it connects with survival, connection, and order.
Values themselves are not "human constants" in the sense intended by the theory; rather, they are content that can form within the framework of humanity's fundamental tendency toward meaning and can change over time.
29.1 – The Concept of Value
A value can be understood as a relatively stable standard or preference about the desirability, rightness, or importance of something that can direct the behavior of an individual or group.
Values may be individual or collective, moral or social, material or spiritual, traditional or modern.
29.2 – The Difference Between Value and Meaning
Value and meaning are closely related, but not identical.
Meaning provides a framework for interpreting life and the world; values, within this framework, make judgments about what is desirable or important.
Therefore, one can say:
Meaning is the context of interpretation, and values are part of the criteria for choosing and directing behavior within that context.
29.3 – Values and Human Behavior
Values can affect human choices.
Two people with similar resources and information may make different decisions due to differences in their values.
Of course, values are not the only factor in behavior. Economic conditions, interests, power, institutions, emotions, and environmental limitations can also affect behavior.
29.4 – Individual and Collective Values
Values can be examined at both individual and social levels.
An individual may value independence, family, success, or freedom.
A society may emphasize values like justice, order, equality, tradition, security, or progress.
There may be harmony or conflict between these two levels.
29.5 – Values and Survival
Some values can have direct or indirect relation to survival.
Valuing health, security, family, work, natural resources, or responsibility to future generations can strengthen behaviors that help preserve life.
On the other hand, some value systems may create costs for survival in specific circumstances.
Therefore, the relationship between values and survival should be examined in specific historical and social context.
29.6 – Values and Connection
Shared values can make communication among people easier.
When people agree on some basic principles, predicting each other's behavior becomes simpler.
But value differences can also cause misunderstanding and conflict.
As a result, communication can strengthen shared values, and values can also affect the quality of communication.
29.7 – Values and Social Order
No society remains without a set of stable rules and behavior standards.
Some of these rules derive from society's accepted values.
For example, if respect for contract, justice, or responsibility is valued, these values can strengthen compliance with some social rules.
29.8 – Values and Law
Law and value are not identical.
A behavior may be legal but appear unjust to some in society; or there may be a social value that is not yet reflected in law.
This difference can be a source of legal and social changes.
From this perspective, changes in values may in the long term affect changes in laws.
29.9 – Values and Legitimacy
Legitimacy depends not only on the existence of law or power.
If people and groups view social rules and institutions as compatible with some of their fundamental values, the likelihood of their acceptance increases.
Therefore, values can be one of the foundations of the legitimacy of social order.
29.10 – Values and Culture
Culture is one of the most important environments for transmitting values.
Family, school, literature, art, religion, media, and historical experience can transmit values from one generation to another.
But transmission of values does not mean complete and unchanged transfer.
Each generation can reinterpret, combine, or reject received values.
29.11 – Change in Values
Values are not fixed and unchangeable.
Economic, technological, educational, demographic, and communicative changes can affect society's value system.
For example, expanded communication with other societies can introduce people to different values and create ground for reconsideration of some existing values.
29.12 – Value Conflict
Value conflict occurs when individuals or groups have fundamental disagreement about preferred or right principles.
For example, some may prioritize freedom and others security or order.
This disagreement does not necessarily lead to crisis; there can be regulation and compromise among different values.
29.13 – Conflicting Values and the Four Constants
Value conflicts sometimes reflect conflicts among priorities related to the four constants.
For example, a society may face difficult choices between security and freedom, economic development and environmental protection, or order maintenance and increased social participation.
In such circumstances, the problem is not only choosing one value; it is finding appropriate combination and regulation among different needs.
29.14 – Shared Values and Social Cohesion
The existence of some shared values can create ground for social cohesion.
But not everyone needs to agree about all values.
For cohesion, there may be a limited set of basic principles like mutual respect, compliance with general rules, and acceptance of coexistence sufficiency.
29.15 – Values and Identity
Values can be part of individual and collective identity.
People may define themselves with values like freedom, justice, family, nationality, independence, or progress.
When values become linked to identity, disagreement about them may change from theoretical disagreement to identity conflict.
29.16 – Values and Power
Values do not form in social vacuum.
Groups with greater power may have greater ability to define, promote, and institutionalize their preferred values.
Media, education, law, and political institutions can play role in this process.
Therefore, analysis of values should also consider their relationship with power structure.
29.17 – Formal and Real Values
There may be gap between values a society or institution formally declares and values that actually affect behaviors.
For example, justice may be formally accepted as value, but people may experience inequality in reality.
This gap can lead to decreased trust and creation of meaning crisis and legitimacy loss.
29.18 – Values and Generations
Difference in values across generations is one of important factors in social change.
Different generations grow in different historical circumstances and therefore may have different perspectives about work, family, authority, freedom, technology, and lifestyle.
This difference is not necessarily negative; it can be part of process of society's adaptation to new conditions.
29.19 – Values and Globalization
Expanded global communication has made values of different societies increasingly exposed to each other.
This can lead to convergence in some values, but may also increase cultural resistance and return to local values.
Therefore, globalization can be both agent of value change and agent of strengthening some local identities.
29.20 – Values and Dynamic Balance
In the Theory of Human Constants, values cannot be analyzed outside actual conditions of life.
Values appropriate in one historical period may need reinterpretation in new circumstances.
Therefore, stability of value system may not mean preserving old form of values; it may mean ability to reinterpret them in new conditions.
29.21 – Values and Imbalance
Imbalance can form when one value system creates so much distance from real needs of society that it neglects one area of needs or when one value dominates so heavily that it disrupts overall balance of human system.
For example, excessive emphasis on order can limit communication and freedom; just as excessive emphasis on individualism may weaken some forms of cooperation and cohesion.
Therefore, the main issue is not elimination of values; it is regulation of values in relation to the four human constants.
29.22 – Possibility of Measuring Values
Although values are qualitative concepts, they can be subject to empirical study through various methods.
Some measurable indicators include:
- value priorities of individuals;
- level of agreement about social values;
- value differences among generations;
- value differences among social groups;
- gap between declared and actual values;
- level of value conflict;
- changes in values over time;
- relationship between values and social participation;
- relationship between values and trust and social cohesion.
Use of social surveys, historical studies, analysis of media content, and cultural texts can help in measuring these variables.
29.23 – Testable Hypotheses
Within the framework of the Theory of Human Constants, the following hypotheses can be proposed:
First hypothesis: increased agreement about set of basic values can be accompanied by increased social cohesion.
Second hypothesis: increased value distance among social groups can increase likelihood of conflict and decreased inter-group trust.
Third hypothesis: large gap between formal and real values can be associated with decreased institutional legitimacy.
Fourth hypothesis: societies that have ability to reinterpret values consistent with environmental changes may demonstrate greater adaptation capacity.
Fifth hypothesis: domination of one value over other human needs can in specific circumstances be accompanied by increased imbalance among the four constants.
These hypotheses should be examined in empirical and comparative studies.
Conclusion
Values are important part of the meaning structure of human societies and can affect behavior, choice, communication, identity, and social order.
In the Theory of Human Constants, values are not themselves one of the four constants; rather, they are part of the content of the constant of "meaning" and one of the mechanisms linking meaning to survival, connection, and order.
Values can create cohesion, direct collective behavior, and provide legitimacy to social order; but if they become rigid or become tools of rejection, they may lead to conflict and divide.
Therefore, the importance of values in the Theory of Human Constants lies not only in their content, but in how they interact, change, and are regulated with other needs and human constants.
Key phrase: In the Theory of Human Constants, values are relatively stable criteria for identifying desirable, important, or right, which form within humanity's fundamental tendency toward meaning and, through affecting behavior, connection, identity, and social order, can affect the balance and stability of the human system.