When we say that something is good we usually mean an intrinsic moral value. Those moral concepts that we attach a certain value to are known as human values.
Social norms are considered acceptable or unacceptable because they refer to certain human values. Thus, if a norm establishes that it is mandatory to pay a tax to help those most in need, this norm implies the value of solidarity.
We talk about human values because there are anti-values
Man judges the actions that take place around him. In the act of a judgment we only say if it is good or bad, but deep down we have reference values. These values are ideals that express a quality that has, consequently, its opposite side.
We speak of altruism as a value because there is an anti-value: selfishness.. The same happens with the rest of the human values, such as justice , loyalty , humility or fidelity.
Despite cultural differences, the values of justice, peace, solidarity and compassion are universal
If we think about the value of sincerity, a sincere person is one who says what he thinks and there is an agreement between what is said, what is thought and his behavior. This definition of the value of sincerity is applied to any human being, the values are universal and therefore valid for everyone.
A moral requirement that allows us to guide our conduct
Those who act out of the value of generosity or justice act in this way because they consider it their moral obligation . This means that their appreciation of something is a consequence of their moral sense.
The moral dimension of human values is what allows us to judge others and ourselves
On the other hand, human values are a reference that helps us to interpret reality from a critical perspective. In this way, we are indignant at the injustice because it drives us to the value of justice and we decide to help those most in need because we are guided by solidarity.
Our behavior is motivated by several factors: the survival instinct, learned social norms and human values. The survival instinct is “written” in our DNA, social norms are agreements elaborated by society as a whole, and human values have a global and universal dimension, but each individual incorporates them in their own scale of values.
