Types of values. Concept and types of human values

Value is the importance, importance, utility and usefulness of something. Externally, it acts as one of the properties of objects or phenomena. But their usefulness and significance are inherent to them not because of their internal structure, that is, not given from nature, they are nothing more than subjective assessments of specific properties involved in the field of social being. People in them are interested and need them. The Constitution of the Russian Federation states that the highest value is the person himself, his freedom and rights.

The use of the concept of value in various sciences

Depending on what kind of science is engaged in the study of this phenomenon in society, distinguish several approaches to its use. So, for example, philosophy considers the concept of value as follows: it is the socio-cultural, personal significance of specific objects. In psychology, value is understood by all those objects of the surrounding individual of the society that are of value to him. This term in this case is closely related to motivation. But in sociology values are understood by those concepts, by which the totality of goals, states, phenomena worthy of people's aspiration are called. As you can see, in this case the connection with motivation is also traced. In addition, from the point of view of these social sciences, there are the following types of values: material and spiritual. The latter are also called eternal values. They are not tangible, but sometimes they are of much greater importance to society than all material objects put together. Of course, they have nothing to do with the economy. In this science the concept of value is regarded as the value of objects. At the same time, two types are distinguished: use and exchange value. The former represent one or another value for consumers depending on the degree of utility of the product or its ability to satisfy human needs, while the latter are valuable in that they are suitable for exchange, and the degree of their significance is determined by the ratio that is obtained with equivalent exchange. That is, the more a person realizes his dependence on a given object, the higher his value. People living in cities depend entirely on money, as they need them to purchase the most necessary goods, namely, food. For rural residents, the monetary dependence is not as great as in the first case, since they can receive the necessary products for their livelihood, regardless of the availability of money, for example, from their own garden.

Different definitions of values

The simplest definition of this concept is the statement that values are all those objects and phenomena that can satisfy human needs. They can be tangible, that is, tangible, and can be abstract, like love, happiness, etc. By the way, the totality of values that are inherent in this or that person or group is called a value system. Without it, any culture would be meaningless. But another definition of value: it is the objective significance of the variety of components (properties and attributes of a particular object or phenomenon) of reality, which are determined by the interests and needs of people. The main thing is that they were necessary for man. However, value and significance are not always equivalent. After all, the first is not only positive, but also negative, but the value - it is always positive. Can not that satisfies the needs of people, be negative, although here everything is relative ...

Representatives of the Austrian school believe that the core values - this is a specific amount of goods or benefits that are necessary to meet the needs of the individual. The more a person becomes aware of his dependence on the presence of a given object, the higher his value. In short, the relationship between quantity and necessity is important here. According to this theory, the benefits that exist in an unlimited quantity, for example, water, air, etc., do not have special significance, since they are non-economic. But the benefits, the number of which does not satisfy the need, that is, there are fewer than necessary, are of real value. This view has both many supporters and opponents who fundamentally disagree with this opinion.

Variability of Values

This philosophical category has a social nature, because it is formed in the process of practice. In this regard, values have the property of changing over time. What was significant for this society may not be so for the future generation. And this we see on our own experience. If you look back in time, you can see that the values of generations of our parents and ours are very different from each other.

Main types of values

As already noted above, the main types of values are material (life-promoting) and spiritual. The latter give the person moral satisfaction. The main types of material values are simple goods (housing, food, household items, clothing, etc.) and the benefits of a higher order (means of production). However, both of them contribute to the life of society, as well as to improve the quality of life of its members. A spiritual values are needed by people for the formation and further development of their worldviews, as well as the worldview. They contribute to the spiritual enrichment of the individual.

The role of values in the life of society

This category, in addition to being of some importance to society, also plays a role. For example, the mastering of various values by a person contributes to the acquisition of social experience, as a result of which he is attached to the culture, and this, in turn, influences the formation of his personality. Another important role of values in society is that a person seeks to create new benefits, while preserving the old ones that already exist. In addition, the value of thoughts, actions, and various things is expressed in how important they are to the process of social development, that is, the progress of society. And at the personal level - the development and self-improvement of man.

Classification

There are several classifications. For example, by types of needs. According to it, material and spiritual values are distinguished. But according to their significance, the latter are false and true. Classification is also carried out according to the spheres of activity, depending on their carrier, and on the time of action. According to the first, economic, religious and aesthetic differences are distinguished, the second is universal human, group and individual values, and the third is eternal, long-term, short-term and momentary. In principle, there are other classifications, but they are too narrow.

Material and spiritual values

Concerning the former, we have already told you about it, everything is clear with them. These are all the material blessings that surround us, which make our life possible. As for the spiritual, they are components of the inner world of people. And the initial categories here are good and evil. The former contribute to happiness, and the latter - all that leads to destruction and is the cause of discontent and unhappiness. Spiritual - this is the true values. However, in order to be such, they must coincide with the significance.

Religious and aesthetic values

Religion is based on unconditional faith in God, and it does not require any evidence. Values in this area are the reference points in the life of believers, which are conditioned by the norms and motives of their actions and behavior in general. And aesthetic values are everything that gives a person pleasure. They are directly related to the concept of "beauty". They are associated with creativity, with art. Fine is the main category of aesthetic value. Creative people dedicate their lives to the creation of beauty, not only for themselves, but for others, wishing to deliver the true joy, delight and admiration to those around them.

Personal values

Everyone has their own personal orientations. And they can differ from person to person. What has significance in the eyes of one, for another can be by no means valuable. For example, classical music, which leads to a state of ecstasy fans of this genre, someone may seem boring and uninteresting. The values of the individual are greatly influenced by factors such as upbringing, education, social circle, the environment, etc. Of course, the family has the most powerful impact on the individual. This is the environment in which a person begins his primary development. The first idea of values he receives in his family (group values), but with age he can take some of them and reject others.

The following types of values refer to personal values:

• Those that are components of the meaning of human life;
• The most general semantic formations, which are based on reflexes;
• Beliefs that are relevant to desired behavior or to the completion of something;
• Objects and phenomena to which the individual is weak or simply indifferent;
• What is important for every person of a person, and what he considers his property.

These are the types of personal values.

A new approach to the definition of values

Values are opinions (beliefs). So some scientists believe. According to them, these are biased and cold ideas. But when they start to activate, they mix with feelings, while getting a certain color. Others believe that the main values are the goals people seek - equality, freedom, and prosperity. And also this is the way of behavior that contributes to the achievement of these goals: mercy, empathy, honesty, etc. According to the same theory, true values should act as certain standards governing the evaluation or choice of people, actions and events.