PHILOSOHY II

THE ESSENCE AND NATURE

OF VALUES
I. The Essence of Values
Etymologically values comes from
the word valere, meaning to
measure the worth of something.
It will guide planners, policymakers and change agent in the
planning and implementation of
responsive development programs
Max Scheler(1874-1928) foremost
exponent of axiology which is the
philosophical science of values
o

Acts reveal the persons value

preferences. Like a prism that
reflects the invisible spectrum of
colors, a persons acts manifest his
invisible order of values.
Order of values is objective and
independent

Value is anything that appeals to

us in anyway. They are priori
intentional objects of feelings. The
ff. are true of values:

1) There are positive and negative

values;
2) It creates an atmosphere, hence,
we say a sense of values;
3) Of diverse types;
4) Clamor for existence or realization;
5) Transcend facts; and,
6) man experiences a certain order of
values.

II. Phenomenology of Values

A. What is phenomenology?
Study of development of human
consciousness & self-awareness
as a preface or part of a
philosophy
Moral insights into a moral
experience shows the ff:
1) Awareness of difference between
right and wrong;

Prepared by: Isaias S. Pastrana Jr.

2) Moral experiences cannot be

reduced to human experiences;
3) must quality obligation to be
moral
4) ought natural expectation to do
good and avoid evil;
5) Yet we are free to do good or evil.

B. From the phenomenon of dialogue,

we speak of and judge others,
distinguish, praise or blame, etc.
III. Characteristics of Moral Values
1. Reasonable & freely chosen
2. Pre-eminent over other human
values
3. Absolute; i.e., independent of other
values and preferred for their own
sake
4. Universal and necessary; i.e.,
friendship remains a value to all
even if the friend is rascal.
5. Obligatory; i.e., ought to be
realized and cannot be postponed
IV. Metaphysics of Moral Values
1. The good appears as an analogous
concept; e.g., sunlight to grass to
cow to baby(cows milk) and to
person.
2. The good as perfective of a subject
is the object of desire(things-to
person relation). As perfect in itself
is the object of love(person-toperson). Good and value are not
identical rather value is an added
aspect of good.
3. Dynamism of the good. Subject and
object valuing are dynamic in
relationship towards human
experience. Man has two-fold
tendency:
a. Natural tendency (will as object) :
object of natural desire : to
possess : human : sage
b. Moral choice of reasonable (will as
reason) : object of reasonable

PHILOSOHY II
love : to know and love: moral :
saint

IV. Knowledge of Values

1. Reflexive knowledge - immediately
felt or experienced before it is
known and explained.

A. Experiential or real; e.g., one

who is love knows love
B. Conceptual or notional; e.g.,
one who has never been in love
gives definition of love

2. The moral ideal is both present(we

are human) and absent(fullness of
human life is still to be realized).
A. Relation of natural values to
moral values.
i. Mediation of Reason
ii. Subjective and Objective
Relationship
iii. Sanction and Merit

B. Mixed or Intermediate Values

i. Relevant natural values
w/c are a potential for
moral values; e.g.,
human love can lead to
love of God
ii. Moral education
iii. Mixed values are
ambiguous in the sense
that

1. A help or hindrance
to moral values
2. Infra-moral and
religious values
3. Loss of proper
sense of values

C. Hierarchy of Values
i. Religious
ii. Moral
iii. Infra-moral
1.
2.
3.
4.

Economic
Social
Intellectual
Personality

iv. Infra-human

1. Biological
2.

Sensible

Points to ponder:
- Moral values and norms are relative

Prepared by: Isaias S. Pastrana Jr.

Unity of ethics ~ tasked to gain

insights into universal moral norms

V. Phenomenological Givenness in
Intentional Feeling
1. The prior givenness of values
pertains both to the psychic and
physical. This a priori of valuefeeling of feeling is independent of
the things to which they refer.
2. Values always exhibit a specific
content, the ordered ranks, among
them that possess a priority of
givenness in the order of
experience.
3. There arise a priori formal law
stating that values are either
positive or negative but can never
be both at the same time.
VI. Emotional Axiology: The Graded
Realm of Values
Value Modalities the most important a
priori relation of values consist in their
ordered ranks which prevail throughout
all qualities of values. The a priori order
of it is as follows:
Values of a Person:

1. The values of holiness

a. The holy & unholy
b. Blissfulness & despair

2. Spiritual values
a. Aesthetic values beauty and ugly
b. Right and wrong as basis to
legislation
c. Pure cognition of truth truth or
fallacy

Values Relative to Life:

3. Vital values

a. Noble to vulgar
b. Good(excellent) to bad(not evil)

4. Sensible values

a. Agreeable to disagreeable
b. Enjoyment and suffering
c. Pain and pleasure

PHILOSOHY II
*In every modality there are values of things,
values of functions and values of state.

Prepared by: Isaias S. Pastrana Jr.