Philosophy Now Forum

Values
Values are not specific acts or rules for action, but the qualities on which those rules must be based.
It is not a value if it merely describes the material world or people or national societies in it. To describe people as Black, White, Coloured, or any number of national races, involves no value. However, descriptive words may be employed in a way that implies a value – largely by intonation and context. There obviously needs to be a way to describe the features of people other than by the extremes of white and black. To describe everyone with a trace of pigmentation as ‘black’ is absurd – everyone with less than full pigmentation could as well be called ‘white’. Unfortunately we live in a world of binary politics and ethics, which is absurd.

Whatever is of value is grounded upon the individual's survival.

To assess what is of the relative values of things,
say a person is caught in a no escape of life or death matter, we can ask every individual the relative order of things they are willing to give up totally in exchange for being alive instead of death.

There will be variations but a general pattern is likely to emerge from the above in terms of ranking.
The easiest things they can give up will be of low value band last things they are willing to give up in exchange to be alive instead of death will be the most valuable.

One will note even the richest billionaire will somehow be willing to give up all his wealth and valuable to be alive.

They may even give up their wife, relatives, but giving up sons and daughters maybe a tough one to decide in general [not exception].
This is because the 'selfish gene' is at work here since sons and daughters can forward the selfish genes.