Values and anti-values: what are they, differences and characteristics?

The values are qualities or attributes considered to be positive, necessary and desirable that human beings assign to objects and other human beings. They are characterized by being associated with the idea of “good” or having utility for individual and social life.

The anti-valuesfor its part, are also attributes that are assigned to objects and persons.except that they represent something that is not negative, unnecessary or undesirablethat is, they are associated with the idea of “bad”. Thus, antivalues are the counterpart of values. When an antivalue manifests itself in a subject or object, it implies an evil for something or someone.

What are values?

In general terms, values are qualities attributed to objects that human beings see as positive, necessary and/or desirable.

Thus, a large majority of values are based on subjective motivations, on the positive or practical result that possessing certain qualities implies, associated with the idea of the “good” or the “useful”..

The values themselves are not a material objectbut are attributes that can satisfy a need or desire, assigned by people to some thing or subject. That is, a value is a quality that someone perceives in a subject or object, be it material or ideal (such as the idea of beauty).

Values (and anti-values) as attributes are a way of ascribing qualities to something or someone. To say that a person is “good” or that stealing is “bad” is to ascribe a value. Thus, values are expressed in a predicative form.

This is why many thinkers point out that both values and anti-values are based on a subjective perspective rather than on the objects or persons to whom they are attributed.

Likewise, values are not always equivalent to ethical precepts or moral ideals.. Even if there are moral values, there are also values that are related to economic processes, such as the use value of an object, or aesthetic values related to the idea of beauty when contemplating a work of art.

It is common for values to be seen as innate qualities in the human being. Thus, freedom, for example, is thought of as a value that each person possesses. Likewise, values are understood as behavioral guidelines for human beings. In this case, values such as honesty are a way of acting that people are expected to have, for the social good.

Characteristics of values

• They are attributes that are assigned to objects and subjects.
• They represent positive, desirable, useful and/or necessary qualities.
• They are associated with forms of behavior that allow a harmonious social life.
• For each value there is an opposite anti-value (peace and war).
• They are attributable to more than one object or subject and, in turn, each object or subject can possess several values.

Examples of values

• Honesty: is the quality of telling the truth or acting in a sincere manner.
• Responsibility: consciously doing something and assuming its consequences.
• Prudence: acting with diligence and paying attention to the consequences.
• Justice: is about parity in the distribution of something accordingly and equitably.
• Freedom: the ability to act voluntarily and without constraint.

Objective values and subjective values

In the field of ethics there are debates about the nature of values, particularly it is questioned whether values are human constructs or whether, instead, they exist outside the social world.

Those who claim that values values are objectivestate that these values are exist by themselvesregardless of whether people perceive or experience them in the world or not. Moreover, they are outside and do not depend on objects or subjects in which they manifest themselves. An example of an objective value is life, if it is thought to exist by itself, regardless of whether anyone sees it as a value.

In the case of the subjective valuesThese are characterized because they are relative, depend on the person who experiences them and are something that is desired or seen as necessary. Their subjectivity is due to the fact that they are human creations and do not exist outside of people.. In this case, if there were no humans or intelligent beings who considered that values exist, then there would be no values.

Instrumental values and intrinsic values

Some thinkers claim that the values are instrumental. That is to say, values are “worth”. because through them an end is obtained. If health is thought of as an instrumental value, since being healthy allows people to perform different activities, it is seen as a means to an end.

The intrinsic values are those that are worthwhile in their own right. These values are the “ends” and their quality of value exists outside of persons. They differ from instrumental values in that they are not a means to obtain something.

For example, performing a good deed, as an end in itself, without expecting anything in return in all honesty, is considered an intrinsic value. Pleasure, happiness, health, etc., when they are not desired as means to obtain something beyond themselves, are also intrinsic values.

Max Scheler’s hierarchy of values

In the axiology or the study of valuesOne of the best known classifications of values is that of the German philosopher Max Scheler (1874-1928), in which values and anti-values are objective and can be ordered hierarchically.

According to Scheler, values are independent of the objects to which they are attributed. and exist a priori (before experiencing reality). That is, the essence of beauty, goodness or nobility already exists, and experience simply allows these to be felt in different objects or persons.

Another characteristic of values is that they are polarso each has a counterpart. That is, for each value, there is an equivalent anti-value.

In addition to this, Scheler orders values, giving greater importance to values associated with the mind and the holy, while material and physical values are on a lower plane of his hierarchy.

Thus, both values and anti-values, according to this philosopher, can be classified into four categories:

1. Holiness values: the religious, that which is holy and that which is profane.
2. Those referring to the mind (or spirit): the beautiful and the ugly, the just and the unjust, knowledge of truth and the false.
3. Those referring to the vital and the noble: the noble and the vulgar, health and disease.
4. Those referring to pleasure or displeasure: the pleasurable and the painful, the pleasant and the unpleasant.

Value in classical economics

Values have been discussed and meditated upon for millennia and from different currents of thought. However, the study of values became particularly relevant during the development of classical economics.

In the 18th century, economists such as Adam Smith (1723-1790), David Ricardo (1772-1823) and others associated the idea of “value” with economic processes in the production of goods.

For the Scottish economist Adam Smiththe value of an object is related to the cost of its production and marketing. In the labor-value theorylabor plays a fundamental role in determining the value of a commodity. This is because producing something always involves the performance of labor.

Also, the labor employed is a constant, unlike the price that the good may have in the market (which is variable).

The English economist David Ricardo agreed with Adam Smith, stating that. labor used in production is a form of measure the value of a good. However, he pointed out that the shortage of a good could also determine its value, no matter how much work it took to produce it.

Use value and exchange value

Use value is the utility that the good possesses or is made from it.. In this case, the value of a good comes from those needs or uses that people satisfy with it. This value is specific to the good and depends on its characteristics and what it can be used for. Its use and the value derived from it depend on each person or society, so that it is a qualitative value.

For its part, exchange value is the value resulting from the exchange of a good for money. and/or that allows the acquisition of other goods. The exchange value of a good is linked to the labor used to produce or obtain it. This value is quantitativesince money (or goods) can be measured during the exchange.

You may be interested to see 11 examples of essential moral values.

What are anti-values

The anti-valuesare basically the opposite of values. If a value is a positive, desirable and necessary quality attributed to an object or person, an anti-value is a positive, desirable and necessary quality attributed to an object or person. an antivalue is defined as a negative, undesirable and unnecessary quality. that is attributed to an object or person.

An antivalue is understood as something that is undesirable, because its presence entails negative outcomes. For example, inefficiency can be seen as an antivalue because it implies the non-realization of an expected result. If a company has certain objectives and the workers are inefficient, the objectives will not be achieved. Hence, an antivalue is something undesirable, unproductive and unnecessary.

In addition, antivalues represent a antithesis (opposition) of what socially values achieve.. Antivalues such as slavery destroy the harmony of social life, if freedom is seen as a human value (and right). In a society where slavery exists, for example, an antivalue such as injustice is also present. In such a case, we are dealing with antivalues in a moral sense.

Characteristics of antivalues

• They are attributes that are assigned to objects and subjects.
• Their qualities are negative, undesirable, unnecessary and/or have no utility.
• When manifested in behaviors, they undermine social life.
• For every antivalue there is an opposite value.
• An object or subject presents several qualities that manifest antivalues, and each antivalue can be assigned to an infinite number of subjects and objects.

Examples of anti-values

• Dishonesty: to use lies or deceit.
• Irresponsibility: to act consciously by failing to comply with the assignment and/or evading its consequences.
• Recklessness: acting without taking care of the consequences.
• Injusticeis when there is an unequal distribution without any basis in the actions of the subjects.
• Slavery: the deprivation of the faculty to act according to one’s own conscience and will.

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