Universal Value

A value is a universal value if it has the same value or worth for all, or almost
all,people.Spheres of human value encompass morality, aesthetic preference, human
traits, human endevour,and social order. Whether universal values exist is an unproven
conjecture of moral philosophy and cultural anthropology, though it is clear that
certain values are found across a great diversity of human cultures, such as primary
attributes of physical attractiveness(e.g. youthfulness symmetry) whereas other
attributes(e.g slenderness) are subject to aesthetic relativism as governed by cultural
norms. This objection is not limited to aesthetics. Relativism concerning morals is
known as moral relativism, a philosophical stance opposed to the existence of
universal moral values.
 Universal Values
ØApply across the world(across country,culture,religion)

The claim or universal values can be understood in two different

ways.
§ First it could be that something has a universal value when everybody
finds it valuable
§ Second, something could have universal value when all people have
reason to believe it has value.
 Universal Values
§ Peace §Contentment
§ Democracy §Human Dignity
§ Equality §Human Rights
§ Tolerance §Love
§ Freedom §Co-Existence
§ Rule of Law §Truth
§ Solidarity §Justice
Six Core Ethical Values
§ Trustworthiness
§ Respect
§ Responsibility
§ Fairness
§ Caring
§ Citizenship
 1. TRUSTWORTHINESS
Trustworthiness concerns a variety of behavioral qualities honesty, integrity, reliability and loyalty.Honesty-There is no
more fundamental ethical value than honesty. We associate honesty with people of honour, and we admire and trust
those who are honest.Honesty in communications is about intent to convey the truth as best we know it and to avoid
communicating in a way likely to mislead or deceive.
There are three dimensions:
Truthfulness- means not intentionally misrepresenting a fact (lying). Intent is the crucial distinction between truthfulness
and truth itself. Being wrong is not the same thing as being a liar, although honest mistakes can still damage trust.
Sincerity/nondeception-a sincere person does not act, say half truths, or stay silent with the intention of creating beliefs
or leaving impressions that are untrue or misleading.
Frankness—In relationships involving trust, honesty may also require us to volunteer information that another person
needs to know.Honesty in conduct prohibits stealing, cheating, fraud, and trickery. Cheating is not only dishonest but
takes advantage of those who are not cheating. It’s a violation of trust and fairness. Not all lies are unethical, even
though all lies are dishonest. Occasionally dishonesty is ethically justifiable, such as when the police lie in undercover
operations or when one lies to criminals or terrorists to save lives. But occasions for ethically sanctioned lying are rare -
eg saving a life.
Integrity-There are no differences in the way an ethical person makes decisions from situation to situation no
difference in the way they act at work and at home, in public and alone.The person of integrity takes time for self-
reflection so that the events, crises and the necessities of the day do not determine the course of their moral life. They
stay in control.
The four enemies of integrity are:
•Self-interest—Things we want
•Self-protection—Things we don’t want
•Self-deception—A refusal to see a situation clearly
•Self-righteousness—An end-justifies-the-means attitude
Reliability-When we make promises or commitments to people our ethical duties go beyond legal obligations. The
ethical dimension of promise-keeping imposes the responsibility of making all reasonable efforts to fulfill our
commitments.It is also important to:
Avoid bad-faith excuses—Honourable people don't rationalize noncompliance or create justifications for escaping
commitments.Avoid unwise commitments before making a promise consider carefully whether you are willing and
likely to keep it. Think about unknown or future events that could make it difficult, undesirable or impossible to keep
your commitment. Sometimes, all we can do is promise to do our best.Avoid unclear commitments Since others will
expect you to live up to what they think you have promised to do, be sure that, when you make a promise, the other
person understands what you are committing to do.
Loyalty
- is about promoting and protecting the interests of certain people,
organizations or affiliations. Some relationships husband,wife,
employer,employee, citizen,country create an expectation of
loyalty.Prioritizing Loyalties.Because so many individuals and groups make
loyalty claims on us, it is often impossible to honor them all simultaneously.
Consequently, we must rank our loyalty obligations in some rational fashion. In
our personal lives, for example, it’s perfectly reasonable, and ethical, to look
out for the interests of our children, parents and spouses even if we have to
subordinate our obligations to other children, neighbors, or co-workers in doing
so.Safeguarding Confidential Information.Loyalty requires us to keep secrets or
information learned in confidence.Avoiding Conflicting Interests.Employees and
public servants have an additional responsibility to make all professional
decisions on merit not personal interests. Their goal is to maintain the trust of
the public.
 2. RESPECT
Ø Respect is about honoring the essential worth and dignity of all people,
including oneself. We are morally obligated to treat everyone with respect,
regardless of who they are and what they have done. We have a responsibility to
be the best we can be in all situations, even when dealing with unpleasant
people. Respect focuses on: Civility, Courtesy and Decency-A respectful person is
a good listener. The respectful person treats others with consideration,
conforming to accepted notions of taste and propriety, and doesn’t resort to
intimidation, coercion or violence except in extraordinary and limited situations
to teach discipline, maintain order or achieve social justice.
Tolerance-An ethical person accepts individual differences and beliefs
and judges others only on their character.
 3. RESPONSIBILITY
ØLife is full of choices. Being responsible means being in charge of our choices and therefore our lives.
It means being accountable for what we do and who we are. It also means recognizing that what we do,
and what we don’t do, matters.Accountability.An accountable person is not a victim and doesn’t shift
blame or claim credit for the work of others.Pursuit of Excellence.The pursuit of excellence has an
ethical dimension when others rely upon our knowledge, ability or willingness to perform tasks safely
and effectively.

Diligence-Responsible people are reliable, careful, prepared and informed.

Perseverance-Responsible people finish what they start, overcoming rather than surrendering to
obstacles and excuses.Continuous Improvement.Responsible people look for ways to do their work
better.
Self-Restraint-Responsible people exercise self-control, restraining passions and appetites (such as
lust, hatred, gluttony, greed and fear). They delay gratification if necessary and never feel it’s necessary
to "win at any cost."
4. FAIRNESS
Ø Fairness is a tricky concept. Disagreeing parties tend to maintain that there is only one fair position -their
own. But while some situations and decisions are clearly unfair, fairness usually refers to a range of morally
justifiable outcomes rather than discovery of one fair answer. Process a fair person uses open and unbiased
processes for gathering and evaluating information necessary to make decisions. Fair people do not wait for
the truth to come to them; they seek out relevant information and conflicting perspectives before making
important decisions. Impartiality-Decisions should be unbiased without favoritism or prejudice. Equity-It is
important not to take advantage of the weakness, disadvantage or ignorance of others. Fairness requires
that an individual, company, or society correct mistakes, promptly and voluntarily.

5. CARING
Ø Caring is the heart of ethics. It is scarcely possible to be truly ethical and not genuinely concerned with the
welfare others. That is because ethics is ultimately about our responsibilities toward other
people.Sometimes we must hurt those we care for and some decisions, while quite ethical, do cause pain.
But one should consciously cause no more harm than is reasonably necessary.
6. CITIZENSHIP
Ø The concept of citizenship includes how we ought to behave as part of a community. The good citizen
knows the laws and obeys them but they also volunteer and stay informed on the issues of the
day.Citizens do more than their "fair" share to make society work, nowand for future generations.
Citizenship can have many expressions, such as conserving resources, recycling, using public
transportation and cleaning up litter.Based onMaking Ethical Decisions
-Josephson Institute of Ethics