Moral values are the principles and norms that determine a person's behavior and interaction with society.
These behaviors are classified as “right” or “wrong” by a certain person or society.
For example, when a person has the honesty value, she tries to be complete and frank in the face of life's events.
Moral values are important because they generate a more harmonious and just society.
Usually, they start to be transmitted to people in their first years of life, through family life or even in the school environment.
Over time, this individual improves his values, based on observations and experiences obtained in social life.
Thus, in addition to having received the teaching about moral values during their creation, a person can form their set of moral values from their own experiences.
What are the moral values?
There are numerous moral values, however, it is important to remember that not all values are important to the same person.
Some examples of moral values are:
- Honesty
- Respect for others;
- Responsibility to the environment;
- Cooperation;
- Loyalty;
- Empathy;
- Freedom;
- Altruism;
- Gratitude;
- Subject;
- Loyalty;
- Honor;
- Courage;
- Perseverance;
- Patience;
- Harmony;
- Tolerance;
- Confidence;
- Valentia;
- Prudence.
see more examples of moral values he was all about ethics: examples and types.
The importance of moral values in society
Moral values are important for us to have a harmonious, peaceful and respectful social life among people.
Moral values determine how behaviors should be, acting as a kind of guidance on how to act, and in a way they guarantee the social order.
They are able to create and maintain fair and cooperative relationships and actions within a society, within the work environment and even in family life.
It is important to remember that moral values can be variable, that is, they can diverge between different societies or social groups.
This is because moral values are based on several factors, such as culture, tradition, daily life, religion and education of a particular people.
See also the meaning of Principles and values.
moral and ethical values
Based on the concept of ethics, ethical values are principles that are not limited only to the norms, customs and cultural traditions of a society (moral values), but also seek to focus on characteristics understood as essential for the best way to live or act in society in a general.
For example, the moral value of prudence can be studied and framed in a different way in each society, thus becoming an ethical value.
This happens because there was a broader study and analysis of this value, understanding its meaning for a better coexistence in the social context.
See also the meaning of ethical values, ethic and moral, ethic and 6 examples of ethics and morals.
Universal moral values
However, there are some values that are presented as “universal”, as they are present in almost all societies in the world as they are considered important for a harmonious social life. For example: freedom, equality, respect, education and justice.
The awareness that respect for others must be an imperative in social interaction can help to avoid one of the most unpleasant and negative that the conflict of different moral values can cause: discrimination and prejudice between people.
Values in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Some of these moral values are so paramount that they are enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Among the values that are highlighted in the Declaration are the freedom of individual choice, political freedom and the cultivation of solidarity.
Equality between people is also a value set out in the Declaration and means that everyone is equal regardless of cultural, racial, religious, social or economic differences.
See too:
- Examples of human values
- Moral sense
- Humans values
- Difference between Ethics and Morals