When we talk about values Y anti-values In the field of ethics and morality, we refer to those qualities that a subject or an object possesses and that we respectively interpret as valuable, desirable or positive (values) or negligible, undesirable or negative (anti-values).
In general, human cultures consider as valuable those qualities that promote peaceful coexistence and understanding, so they try to promote and teach them. This is not to say that a society’s values cannot change over time. What is considered a value at one time may cease to be so in the next, or even become an anti-value, and vice versa. These cultural changes, however, tend to be slow.
Religions, habits, social pressure, education and culture in general are what allow us to define values, and this implies that the values of one culture may differ from those of another. But, at the same time, there is a subjective dimension of value, so that not all of us understand or appreciate values in the exact same way, despite even belonging to the same culture and religion.
Differences between values and anti-values
The differences between values and anti-values can be summarized as follows:
Values
anti-values
They are attributes considered positive, desirable or admirable, that society seeks to promote. They are attributes considered negative, undesirable or reprehensible, which society seeks to discourage. They are associated with the idea of the “moral” or the “ethical”, that is, the notion of individual and/or collective well-being. They are associated with the idea of the “immoral” or the “unethical”, that is, the notion of individual and/or collective malaise. They are understood as a contribution to the stability and happiness of an organized society. They are understood as destabilizing and harmful traits for society. They are promoted by society through education, deontological codes and other training institutions. Many have to do with the primitive nature of the human being, but others are paradoxically transmitted informally by the same societies that claim to fight them.
Examples of values and anti-values
Here is a list of example values and their corresponding anti-value:
Worth
What does it mean
anti-value
What does it mean
Responsibility Frontally assume the consequences of one’s own actions and decisions. Irresponsibility Hiding behind others so as not to assume the consequences of what is said or done. Courage Having the necessary courage to undertake situations that give us fear or anguish. Cowardice Allowing greater damage to ourselves and to third parties in order not to face fear or anguish. Honesty Committing to the truth regardless of the consequences. Dishonesty Lying, manipulating or distorting the truth when it is convenient. Freedom Autonomy to decide one’s own courses and actions. Submission Always be subject to the will of another or others. Justice Give each person what corresponds to him, in the way in which he corresponds. Injustice Favoring one’s own or third parties over those to whom it really corresponds. Prudence Act trying not to take unnecessary risks or unnecessarily hurt anyone. Recklessness Acting without paying attention to the risks involved or possible damage to third parties. Solidarity Being there for those who need it at their worst moment. Indifference Not being moved by the suffering and pain of others. Generosity Giving the other what he needs when it is possible to do so. Selfishness Always choose one’s own over the needs of others. Tolerance Put yourself in the other’s shoes and understand that everyone has their own reasons. Intolerance Believing that one’s own convictions are the only possible and correct ones. Gratitude Recognize those who helped us and try to return the good received. Ingratitude Paying with bad money those who helped us and now require our help. Respect Pay attention to the manners and sensibilities of others. Disrespect Not paying attention to other people’s ways or sensibilities.
Types of values and anti-values
Values and anti-values can be classified according to their field of origin in:
- Personal values and anti-values. They reside in each individual and can differ depending on how people choose to interpret what society tells them. Their subjective differences, however, will never be as great as the differences that can exist between two people from completely different cultures.
- Family values and anti-values. They are typical of the more or less narrow group of a family and are promoted by the older ones (parents, grandparents) to the younger ones (children, grandchildren) through the family hierarchy. They depend to a large extent on the type and family functioning.
- Religious values and anti-values. They are typical of a church or practitioners of a particular religion. They are usually contained in some doctrine or moral text, and are assumed to come from God or as a reflection of the universal order of things.
- Professional values and anti-values. They have to do with practitioners of a trade, those trained in a profession or those who belong to a certain field of work. A perfect example of this are the codes of ethics.
- Political values and anti-values. They are linked to the way of understanding power and the way in which a society organizes itself. Democracies, for example, tend to share certain values concerning freedom, fundamental rights, and popular sovereignty.
- Universal values and anti-values. They are shared by all of humanity, or at least by the vast majority of the cultures and societies that comprise it. In general, they are very primordial or fundamental values and anti-values in the human way of life, which were formed in the primitive tribe and have been transmitted in one way or another through different systems of belief, organization and judgment.
Follow with: