Yes, my take is that “values” are used (1) to signal personal characteristics, particularly tribe; (2) to retrospectively justify action that did not meaningfully involve them at the time; (3) to construct a coherent (but mostly factually empty) self-narrative. cc @edelwax
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Also, most of the action-guiding or attention-guiding ideas you cover when you talk about Buddhism are values on my definition, so it would be surprising if you thought they were only used retrospectively.
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Could you give an example of that?
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Some of David's values (they are good ones!): passionate and spacious engagement with this world, accepting uncertainty, approaching problems in a fluid mode, nobility, vastness, reverence for every ordinary thing
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I’m still uncertain how to reply to this. Given the vagueness of the category, I agree these might be called virtues.
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Replying to @Meaningness @edelwax and
I would describe them as “methods,” instead, but my use of that word is also somewhat technical (deriving from Dzogchen).
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Replying to @Meaningness @edelwax and
The advantage of “methods” is that it suggests these are things you can work at quite directly, where “values” might be ideals that are so vague they don’t really inform practical action, and “virtues” might sound like they’re innate.
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Replying to @Meaningness @edelwax and
Can you give examples of what you mean by values so vague they don't inform practical actions?
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Fairness, freedom, decency. These can be invoked to justify either side of many policy disputes.
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Replying to @Meaningness @edelwax and
Hm I see. They can be abused by someone as justification because they are more abstract. But if you are honest and e.g. you value freedom, it can surely help you decide/form your action/policy that will increase freedom or protect it.
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Well, maybe sometimes… but in concretely cases there are always trade-offs. Which freedom, for whom? The gay wedding cake issue, for instance. And people usually say freedom has to be balanced against other values.
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