The debate whether values are subjective or objective is unwise one, for both subjective and objective aspects of values. This is because objective facts are your subjective values. This means we make judgement or choices based on things that are there or being offered to us, therefore values are both subjective and objective.
Value is the wish that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or utility of something or principles or standards of behaviour; one's opinion of what is significant in life . As human beings, there’s things we value as such, as material and physical values, economic values, moral values, societal values, political values, aesthetical values, spiritual values and rational values. As humans, we would like to think we are in charge of our own values and what is worthy of our desires (instrumental values). Merely this is incorrect for there’s intrinsic values, values ...view middle of the document...
Most of our judgement is based on our desire rather than the truth and many individual might desire different things. This is what makes some of the values subjective because we as Human Beings we refer pleasure rather than pain, so all our desire therefore seek pleasure.
Objective values are values that hold worthy of desire no matter if we actually desire them or not , a good example of this is ‘life’, life is valuable no matter whether you desire to life or not. If this is the case then we value good because there are good not because we desire them , as we don’t have power or control over the ‘truth’ or good, the good remain good even if we disagree with it.
Some fail on to believe values are subjective because people value different things, so if values were to be objective then everyone should have the same values. This is untimely in a sense where all us human value happiness or desire happiness in our lives but there’s no one can choose or tell us what makes us happy, that’s up to us to decide on our own. However, some things such as money become valuable to us since we put faith into it for what reason it might be. Some might value money for what it can buy rather than the money itself. For instance, I need a new shoes, then money became valuable to me because it gave me what I desire.
On the other hand, there’s things that become valuable to us for their nature without us desiring them. Let take food for example, we require to eat every time we feel hungry, there for food become a valuable source to us. There’s no in any way we as human desire to be hungry, but our bodies require food to be able to function properly. However, it’s up to us to decide which type of food we require to eat. One’s can see both objective and subjective have an impact on our values as objective facts are one’s subjective values. In contrast, several might argue that judgement is always subjective but if objective is not being practised there will not be moral law, as everyone will bring their judgement influence by their desires rather than facts. As a result values are both objective and subjective as we need both to make judgement.
