Why values are perceived as essentially unchangeable (still an assumption)? How they emerge at all? What makes an idea or thing a value? Let’s look at some obviousnesses:
- A value (positive) is something I want to have, so I see that something of value, of interest, of meaning, I develop a feeling for it. Does that mean I get the thing in my consciousness? That is not clear yet.
- What if I cannot get what I want? A tension develops between the want and reality, thus the want obtains aspect of time: between past of unsatisfied desire and future of desire to be satisfied. Time! That means the wanted value becomes a fact of consciousness. And as wanted it doesn’t change.
- What about a case when you want something just to be, to exist as such? That is all the same, even more so, for something “just to be” means you acknowledge its value not for yourself only but for somebody else or even for humanity at large and even forever.
- What about something becoming a value when disappears? Was it or was it not in my consciousness before that? Maybe not. You had no feelings for it. You didn’t reflect your relations with it. You didn’t reflect your attitude toward it. All these come to exist after it gone!
- We have actually approached a paradox (which is encouraging): To become a fact of consciousness something must be of value <=> To become something of value something must be being aware of, obviously.
- What about “shared values?” A shared value is in the analogues paradoxical relationship with human communication: to take seriously or, I believe, even just hear your idea I must value it and vice versa – to value your idea I need to hear it. This relationship allows for thoughtless communication which has always been another mystery for me, thus far.