What is a “Human Value”?
I hope that last week’s exercise helped provide a certain amount of clarity as regards the things you find most valuable in life. Today, I’d like to drill down a bit deeper into the idea of values, and in particular to clarify a distinction between “human values” and what I refer to as “technocratic values” (I have been tempted to refer to them as “silicon values,” but I am not giving into the temptation!) At one point I referred to them as “machine values,” but I think “technocratic values” gets closer to the heart of the problem: it is the technocrats who prioritize non-human values over human values, and to the extent that we do as well, we give into the spirit of technocracy.
Unsurprisingly, humans have been discussing values for a very long time. That said, unless one takes the time to consider one’s values, the values that we hold can be taken for granted as being “self evident.” The reality, however, is that many (if not most) of the values that we hold dear have not always been held universally. One of the most obvious examples is that historically (and even up to today, in certain cultures) the basic dignity and value of every human being has not been a universal value.
This topic (what constitutes a “human value”) could be the subject of its own book. That said, because it would be helpful to have some kind of framework and criteria for determining what a human value is, in today’s installment, I’d like to look more closely at what such a framework might look like, and to provide a series of questions to help judge whether or not any given value can be considered a “human value.”
Practical Criteria for Determining a Human Value
Since a comprehensive study of human values would take far too much time, the following criteria provide a distillation of much of the West’s philosophical and spiritual traditions’ understanding of what constitutes a “human value.”
1. Human Flourishing (Eudaemonic Criterion)
Does this value genuinely help humans thrive in the long term, not just survive?
Does it contribute to physical, emotional, intellectual, or spiritual growth?
2. Human Scale
Can ordinary people realistically live this value in their daily lives?
Does it fit the limits and conditions of actual human existence?
3. Universality / Cross-Cultural Recognition
Has this value been recognized or honored across different cultures?
Can it be regarded as important regardless of one’s background?
4. End-in-Itself (Terminal Value)
Is this value worth pursuing for its own sake, even if it doesn’t lead to something else?
Would it still matter if it brought no other benefit?
5. Normativity / Guiding Function
Does this value help people decide what to do or how to act?
Can it serve as a compass in moments of moral conflict?
6. Intersubjective / Relational Relevance
Does this value shape or improve how people treat each other?
Does it encourage fairness, respect, trust, or compassion in relationships?
7. Durability / Stability
Has this value persisted over generations?
Is it likely to endure, rather than being just a passing trend?
8. Integration with Other Values
Does this value reinforce and harmonize with other recognized values?
Does it avoid serious contradictions with the core of human moral life?
9. Meaning-Making Function
Does this value help people make sense of life, suffering, and death?
Does it offer orientation toward purpose or significance?
10. Transcendence / Orientation Beyond the Self
Does this value point people beyond self-interest toward community, nature, or the divine?
Does it connect human beings to something larger than themselves?
11. Practical Embodiment
Can this value be lived out through specific habits, rituals, or practices?
Is it possible to embody this value concretely, not just talk about it abstractly?
12. Resilience Under Adversity
Does this value still matter in times of suffering, loss, or scarcity?
Can it sustain people under hardship, not just in times of comfort?
13. Cultural Articulation
Has this value been celebrated or preserved in myths, stories, art, religion, or law?
Does it appear in humanity’s collective cultural memory?
14. Moral Depth
Does this value help people distinguish higher goods from mere pleasures or conveniences?
Does it illuminate the difference between virtue and vice?
15. Sustainability (Future-Oriented Responsibility)
Does this value encourage stewardship of resources and responsibility toward future generations?
Can it guide humans to live in ways that do not destroy what comes after them?
A “Human Values” Checklist
Some of these criteria overlap a bit. In an attempt to pull these criteria together, here is a distillation of these questions that we can ask of a particular value to determine whether or not it should be considered a “human value”:
1. Does this value genuinely promote long-term human flourishing?
Physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth; resilience under adversity; sustaining well-being beyond mere survival.
2. Is this value livable and embodied in real human life?
Fitting human limits and conditions; able to be practiced through habits, rituals, or concrete actions.
3. Is this value recognized across cultures, eras, and human experience?
Universality, durability across generations, presence in myths, art, religion, or law; cultural memory.
4. Is this value intrinsically worth pursuing, beyond utility?
An end-in-itself, not just a means; retaining meaning even without external benefit or reward.
5. Does this value guide human action and moral decision-making?
Normativity, moral depth, capacity to orient people in moments of conflict and distinguish higher goods from mere conveniences.
6. Does this value strengthen human relationships and community?
Relational relevance, fairness, respect, trust, compassion; extending beyond self-interest toward community, nature, or the divine.
7. Does this value harmonize with and support other enduring values?
Integration and coherence, avoiding contradiction with the core of human moral life.
8. Does this value orient humanity toward meaning, purpose, and responsibility beyond the present?
Meaning-making, transcendence, sustainability, responsibility for future generations.
If a value passes all (or at least most) of these tests, it can be considered a human value.
OK…that’s it for today! Before closing however, I did want to ask you your thoughts on the criteria I outlined above. Are there other criteria that should be taken into consideration? Are there other questions that should be asked about a value to determine whether or not is can be considered a “human value”? Is this process helping you clarify what should be considered a “human value”? Please share in the Comments section below!