The debate over the stability of human values is a perennial one, reflecting contrasting perspectives on the nature of ethics and morality. While some argue that values are mutable, contingent upon temporal and situational factors, others maintain that certain principles are enduring and universal across cultures and epochs. Personally, I align more with the latter view, albeit with an acknowledgment of the complexities inherent in this discussion. Human values may indeed manifest differently across contexts, influenced by cultural norms, historical events, and individual experiences. However, beneath these variations lie fundamental principles such as compassion, justice, and integrity, which endure across time and circumstance. These universal values serve as the bedrock of ethical behavior and provide a common ground for moral discourse amidst the flux of societal change. While interpretations and applications may evolve, the core essence of these values remains steadfast, guiding human conduct and fostering cohesion in diverse societies. Thus, while acknowledging the dynamic nature of human existence, I contend that there are indeed certain immutable and universal values that underpin our shared humanity.
Tag: Aptitude and foundational values for Civil Service, integrity, impartiality and non-partisanship, objectivity, dedication to public service, empathy, tolerance and compassion towards the weaker sections.
Decoding the Question:
- In Introduction, try to give definition.
- In Body, you have to show whether values are rigid or flexible. In this part, an example of Indian values is taken as an example to justify that values are not rigid.
- In Conclusion, try to conclude with the statements which attests your perception given in the body part of the question.
Answer:
Values are elements of life that we hold as important or desirable. They are standards of conduct and guide of human behavior. Values give meaning and strength to a person’s character by occupying a central place in his life. Values reflect one’s personal attitude and judgments, decisions and choices, behaviour and relationships.According to the model of perception, something is desired or approved, because it has a value. According to the model of taste upheld by the subjectivists, a thing has a value because it is desired. This leads to the fact that some values are eternal and some values change.
Values Keep Changing with Time and Situation and There Are Certain Universal and Eternal Human Values:
- Though systems of values are quite stable and tenacious, they do undergo basic changes in course of time. Values are strongly bound to other aspects of the social system to which they belong; and change in the value system goes hand in hand with changes in the social system as a whole. Whether it is the change in the value system that causes social change, that is, the change of the social system; or it is some other factors which bring about basic social change, including a change in the value systems – is a question on which opinion is sharply divided.
- As an example, “Indian Values” in a way as if all sections of Indian people share the very same values in all historical eras. This is obviously not so. Besides variations in the value systems of the people of different strata and other segments of Indian society, the values of the dominant elites themselves have undergone tremendous changes over various socio-cultural eras.
Change in Indian Values: Values in the Vedic Period Rigveda, provides information about the people who migrated and settled in India around 1500 B.C. The following pattern appears to emerge in value system:
- Conflict of Values :Between the conquerors and the defeated led to the shaping of the Indian traditions of culture and patterns of values.
- Duality of Norms and Values: The hatred towards the racially distinct subject people found expression in social values and norms. In Rigveda, two sets of norms can be seen, one for the Aryan and the other for the non-Aryan.
- The Modern Value System: The traditional value system of India, which formed the basis of its social structure and institutions for more than fifteen hundred years, began to show signs of rapid change and decline as a result of the impact of modern social forces. The British Rule and Indian Value System: Impact of the British rule on Indian society gave birth to an urban middle class valuing modernity and also even opposed the traditional values.
Thus, values can be either universal, relative or dynamic which keeps changing with time. As Einstein once rightly remarked, “Try not to become a man of success but try to become a man of values”. Values influence our thoughts, feelings and actions. They guide us to do the right things. Values give direction and firmness to life.
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