Moral values ​​are a problem in modern society

Human actions are governed by moral rules. Moral values ​​and norms guide and correct the life of an individual in relation to public opinion. Typically, a person is oriented towards general moral standards and fulfills his own ethical responsibilities. Moreover, mass patterns, stereotypes and recognized models do not affect people’s responsibility for abandoning these principles. Everything is determined by conscience. Sometimes the concepts of “morality” and “morality” differ in shades of meaning, but in most cases they are considered synonymous. Moral values ​​are one of the fundamental concepts of philosophy.

Religion

Faith has been an important driving force at all times. Islam, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism - all these religious movements basically have the same generally accepted rules of behavior in society that must be observed. They are collected in a set of laws or commandments, supported by the motivation of followers of a particular religion.

Do not kill, do not steal, do not deceive, do not harm your neighbor... For a believer, this is like a guide to action. In addition, all commandments resonate well with legislation. Spiritual and moral values ​​are built on their basis. Among other things, for a religious person they mean grace, which ultimately leads to a better life.

Upbringing

From the earliest years, a person, even a tiny one, is surrounded by society with its own rules and norms. It is he who, from childhood, lays for us the foundation on which the formation of moral values ​​will take place.

First, parents, by their own example, show the child what is good, what is bad, what is possible and what is not. Further, his life will be influenced by teachers who, in addition to demonstrating their own example, convey in an accessible form the norms of correct behavior in society, show the border between good and evil, and explain how thin it can be.

Teenage maximalism

Overestimation often occurs during adolescence. Parents and teachers talk about how things should be done, but friends and peers think it’s bad and good is something else entirely. This is where the question of ethical choice arises: creating your own worldview and determining what is important for you and what you should not do.

Freedom of choice is one of the most obvious human freedoms. It is given to us by nature upon birth and is even enshrined in law. A person decides for himself what to do.

But the freedom of one, as we know, ends where the freedom of another begins. It is during adolescence that people most often make some mistakes, sometimes break laws, try forbidden things, and make wrong decisions. All this in one way or another helps in the formation of an individual with his own value system.

Kindness

Mercy, self-sacrifice, charity, helping the weak and infirm - all these moral values ​​are characteristic of a good person. “Good” seems to be a simple and unambiguous concept, but everything is not so simple. It can be interpreted in different ways. Everything depends on the moral values ​​of a person.

Everyone has their own criteria for good: for some, the absence of evil is already good, for others it lies in specific deeds. Both take place and, in essence, are good. There are also more examples that describe not so good actions, but they are explained by the best intentions. Sometimes it can be very difficult to determine the fine line between good and evil.

People around

Man, as you know, is a social creature - alone he is bored, sad, and has no one to talk to. There are almost always a lot of people around us, very different. These are our parents, and people of the older generation, and those younger than us. All these people around influence us and contribute to our understanding of the moral values ​​of the society in which we find ourselves.

Individuals have different values ​​and degrees of authority for us. We listen to someone more and even go for advice; we try to be like someone. Some people are remembered by their actions, others by the words they say, which leave a mark and make us think.

One way or another, the environment affects everyone. During the course of historical changes in society, changes also occur that affect moral values. What was considered immoral a couple of centuries ago is now considered the norm; once “wild” things are now an everyday occurrence. There are also controversial human moral values, for example, maintaining virginity until marriage.

Basic Spiritual Concepts

Kind people are happier than others, because by doing good they bring joy and benefit to the world and help others. The basis of good deeds is compassion, selflessness and the desire to help. Such people are respected and loved.

beauty

Only a talented person can see beauty in the world around him and convey it to others. Beauty inspires creative people to create works of art. Many artists, poets, performers and musicians try to find this important landmark.

True

This value leads to self-knowledge and the search for answers to important moral questions. Truth helps people separate good from evil, understand relationships, and analyze their actions. Thanks to truth as a spiritual need, humanity has created a set of moral laws and rules of conduct.

Art

Art makes a huge contribution to personal development. It encourages you to think outside the box and unlock your inner potential. Thanks to art, the range of interests of an individual expands and allows him to develop spiritually and see beauty. Artists throughout history have contributed to culture and everyday life.

Creation

This spiritual need helps the individual realize individual talents, develop and strive for high things. Creativity promotes the manifestation of abilities for the benefit of society. Creative figures tend to transform the world; they move towards something new, think more broadly and productively, leaving behind:

• cultural monuments;
• literature;
• music;
• painting.

All these things together influence society and encourage other people to develop and not stand still. In everyday life, creative individuals help progress transform the world around us.

Unity of peoples

On the scale of nations and humanity, in a general sense, significance is also attached to certain objects. The whole society decides what is of paramount importance to it. A value-normative system is being drawn up. Society develops, its individual members interact with each other. If ideals and interests are similar, then the interaction is fruitful, favorable and effective. The people must have one goal and priorities in social and political life. Mechanisms for achieving common goals are collectively developed.

As a rule, great importance is given to social justice, civic duty, the richness of spiritual life, human dignity, and material well-being. Ideally, people care about what is happening in the world around them: whether resources are being used correctly, whether policies are being pursued wisely, whether wars are being fought, the state of the economy.

Immorality

What does the concept of “bad” include? It seems that everything is extremely simple, but in the modern world, good and bad are so closely intertwined and confused that it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. Some spiritual and moral values ​​seem insignificant. Today it is fashionable to be strong and powerful, to despise weakness and infirmity. To achieve their goals, people often forget about friendship, love, respect, mutual assistance, mercy and many other things that are considered correct and kind.

Of course, each person decides for himself what is good and what is bad, but in any case, white always remains white, and black always remains black. And there are things that, when we step over them, we commit immoral acts. And they cannot be justified by citing the thin boundaries between good and evil.

What are moral values

Moral values ​​are significant and important material and intangible objects endowed with subjective meaning. Every day we are faced with a situation of moral choice; our actions are based on internal values ​​and beliefs.

Values ​​themselves are objective. They already exist in the world; people only accept or reject them. But the personal system and hierarchy of values ​​is always subjective. A person selects and ranks values ​​according to his needs, knowledge, experience, motivation and perception. Values ​​are life guidelines that unite or separate people and determine the specifics and nature of interpersonal relationships.

Moral values ​​help distinguish good from evil, determine what is good and what is bad. Universal moral values ​​include:

• wisdom,
• happiness,
• Liberty,
• Love,
• family,
• mercy,
• honesty,
• sincerity,
• diligence,
• loyalty,
• truthfulness,
• goodwill,
• reliability,
• decency,
• responsibility,
• work,
• true,
• Human,
• knowledge,
• culture, etc.

Respect for human rights and freedoms, the very fact of human life, is valued. We can name many more universal moral values ​​(the largest classification has 46 positions). But not for all people universal human values ​​are internal values. The formation of a value system depends on the environment in which a person grows and is educated.

In turn, values ​​influence the direction of activity and personality, actions and actions, social activity and position, attitude towards oneself and the world, behavior, goals and the choice of means to achieve them. A person needs values ​​to maintain the meaning of life and to understand the trajectory of life’s path. If the value system collapses, then a person finds himself in a difficult, crisis situation, a state of confusion and uncertainty. He does not know what he wants from life, he doubts when making decisions.

Who poses a threat to traditional values?

The Ministry of Culture emphasized that traditional values ​​are threatened by:

• activities of extremist and terrorist organizations;
• actions of the United States and its allies, transnational corporations, and foreign non-profit organizations.

“The activity of the promoters of destructive ideology objectively contradicts the national interests of the Russian Federation,” the document notes.

Such activities contribute to the weakening of friendly and family ties, devalue the ideas of creative work, promote an immoral lifestyle, distort historical truth, undermine trust in law enforcement agencies, etc.

What are they needed for

The direction of moral values ​​is determined by upbringing from childhood. They can be formed both positive and negative. Many nations have stereotypical moral principles necessary for building a civilized society, in which public well-being should become more important than personal advantages acquired at the expense of others. Moral principles regulate the thoughtfulness of statements and the evaluation of actions in advance of their commission. They advise taking into account the interests and rights of other people, which not every person actually does. Differences in people's moral values ​​can be so radical that contact can lead to a conflict situation.

Generalized ideas of morality are the concepts of good and evil, which differentiate morality and immorality. By tradition, goodness is associated with benefits for people. Although this concept has a relative meaning, because at different periods of time the benefit is assessed differently. Adherence to common moral traditions and canons, as well as inherent priorities, helps a person lead a harmonious and balanced lifestyle in society. And people whose rules and assessments do not correspond to generally accepted ones are often forced to exist separately, in isolation. An individual who commits unkind, impudent, humiliating acts deserves only disapproval and reproach.

Moral principles allow individuals to:

• comfortable to exist in the environment;
• to be proud of useful and noble deeds, a clear conscience.

What is included in the concept

Moral values ​​are understood as a system of people’s worldview that evaluates everything that exists from the point of view of good, objectivity, benefit and other qualities that correlate human actions with the prevailing order of social traditions.
The selection of significant moral priorities allows people to choose their attitude towards events and actions and analyze their behavior, as well as choose the value orientation of their characteristic understanding of morality. The final moral position is expressed both in individual specific actions and in the entire course of action. Moral values ​​enable people to determine their moral responsibility to family, friends, colleagues, society, and themselves; formulate your understanding of good and evil, objectivity and impartiality, decency and immorality. The main function of morality is the regulation of the behavior of individuals in society and the nature of their relationships, depending on their understanding of the basic categories of morality. The concept of morality plays an additional role in the formation of the individual’s consciousness, contributing to the emergence and strengthening of:

• human judgments about the essence of life;
• obligations to society;
• need for respect from others.

Moral consciousness evaluates behavior and actions from a position of agreement with morality: approving, condemning, supportive, sympathetic opinions. A distinctive feature of moral values ​​is that they control the consciousness and behavior of a person in various areas of life:

1. domestic;
2. family;
3. communicative;
4. working

People encounter this everywhere and every day. Moral ideas strengthen the foundation of civilized relations that are created during the formation of society.

Types and levels of values

Psychologist and sociologist S. V. Kapikanov divides values ​​into two groups: socially destructive and socially constructive. The author includes money, fame, comfort, and bodily pleasure as the first. To the second - family, love, faith, homeland. The first group of values ​​turns people into things, destroys relationships, and teaches us to perceive others as a means to an end or as an obstacle. The second group teaches mutual assistance, support and unity.

But it is worth mentioning the relativity of individual values. Not all people are ready to go over the heads of others for the sake of personal success. And others are even ready to commit deception and fraud for the sake of their family. Any value must be assessed exclusively in the value system of an individual.

This is far from the only classification. In general, the following criteria and types of values ​​can be distinguished:

• by object: material, spiritual (moral);
• by content and subject: socio-political, economic, moral;
• by subject: social, class, group;
• by purpose: selfish, altruistic;
• by level of generality: concrete, abstract;
• by method of manifestation: persistent, situational;
• by role in human activity: terminal (goal), instrumental (method);
• according to the content of the activity: cognitive, subject-transforming;
• by affiliation: personal, group, collective, public, national, universal;
• in relation to the group and society: positive, negative.

There are many more classifications of values, but in a broad sense they can be divided into two groups: material and moral (spiritual). Values ​​are formed during specially organized (family, school) and random (street, media, friends) upbringing.

What are spiritual values?

Spiritual values ​​are ideals and beliefs that govern a person’s life, serve as a guide for him and help him make the right decisions. They are established both by society and by a person directly for himself. Unlike material assets, they do not have a specific value. However, their significance for the individual may be disproportionately higher.

The system of spiritual values ​​is individual for each person and is the most important component of his personality.

In the 20th century, a broader interpretation emerged, according to which spiritual values ​​can be defined as two large groups of values:

• intangible cultural values ​​(folk art, music, literature, poetry, knowledge, scientific achievements, etc.);
• ethical, aesthetic, ethical, ethical, religious and other “universal” values ​​(kindness, love, friendship, patriotism, courage, loyalty, honesty, etc.).

In modern Russian, the term “spiritual values” often has just such a broad meaning. But since this interpretation combines two unrelated categories, we will consider spiritual values ​​in a narrower sense - as a system of aspirations, ideals and beliefs that give meaning to human existence.

How are they chosen?

For many centuries, since ancient times, there has been the concept of eternal values ​​that have not lost their meaning in our days. Humanity has always condemned:

• meanness;
• ignobility;
• perfidy;
• deceit;
• dishonesty;
• slander.

The norm and correct behavior have always been:

• decency;
• nobility;
• loyalty;
• sincerity;
• restraint;
• humanity;
• responsiveness.

Such qualities are directly related to the upbringing and self-awareness of the individual, the sense of the importance of these character traits. Compliance with a moral model requires the individual to voluntarily comply with ethical rules. Moral values ​​and norms are manifested by moral foundations:

• hard work;
• collectivism;
• patriotism;
• philanthropy;
• good faith.

Life requires from a person the ability to reconcile personal needs with the needs of society, the ability to treat fellow humans with attention, and build friendly relations with them on the basis of mutual assistance. Love for the fatherland is manifested in honoring the traditions of the native country, understanding the importance of making a contribution to the global civilization of our people. Diligence allows us to recognize the spiritual significance and importance of work for the sake of human self-affirmation.

What do moral standards regulate?

Moral guidelines do not exist to drive the human personality into a stuffy framework; they have very important functions.

1. Estimated. Allows you to classify phenomena into good and bad.
2. Educational. Plays a role in the formation of personality, transfers concentrated experience to a new generation. Disregard for moral standards affects the establishment of connections with other people, which is vital.
3. Regulatory. Outlines the boundaries of individual behavior and interaction in a group. This method is fundamentally different from other levers, since it does not require any administrative resources. Norms begin to operate when they become a person’s internal beliefs, so there is no need to additionally monitor their implementation.

Differences between spiritual values ​​and material ones

If we consider spiritual values ​​as a system of ideals and beliefs that give meaning to our existence, then the difference is obvious. Spiritual values ​​are an invisible force that moves us forward. Compared to them, material values ​​are just the resources we need for life. They are needed for existence, work, comfort, and satisfaction of various needs. At the same time, spiritual values ​​are eternal and priceless, while material values ​​are finite, and their value is measurable and limited.

If we consider intangible cultural values, then they differ from material ones, first of all, in that they are the property of all humanity. They don't run out just because someone consumes them. In most cases, they can be stored and reproduced without restrictions. Moreover, their perception is subjective, so each person, consuming them, receives his own experience, which specifically influences his personality.

System of moral principles

The meaning of moral values ​​depends on their level for various categories of people. There are universal, group and individual norms. Depending on the type of relationship, they can be mutually exclusive or complementary. The most important are the highest values. This is the ideal. The key idea of ​​modern science is that universal human norms prevail over group norms that serve the bourgeois class. They are part of spiritual, material and social values ​​and have national significance, defining social regulations, the concept of independence, objectivity, impartiality, and ethics. In the process of changing external conditions, they are capable of intraspecific transition. With the advent of innovations in society, modernized values ​​arise, and some of the old ones lose significance.

Self-improvement of a person involves following the principles of morality, and psychologists recommend following them every day: trying to become kinder, more attentive, caring, and responsible. Each individual must be sincere with himself, honest, principled; regulate your thoughts and emotions; fulfill obligations, prove words with actions. Compliance with these rules will help the modern citizen to enter today's society with dignity.

conclusions

Each of us has our own, hierarchically structured system of values ​​that connects the spiritual component of the individual with the spiritual culture of society. Value guidelines here act as the most important components of the personality structure; they are complex and multi-level integral formations.

The personality structure includes various levels of interaction between the individual and the social in a person, between his own future, present and past, as well as forms of consciousness and cognition by the individual of the surrounding world. Consequently, the basis of a person’s value guidelines is a certain value system, which consists, among other things, of moral values ​​that were formed in the human consciousness in the process of the individual’s acquaintance with the world around him.

Moral development of personality

The value system reflects the individuality of a person, but at the beginning of life (the first years after birth) a person internalizes someone else’s value system (parents, teachers). Gradually one of the possible relationships to it is formed:

• active (full acceptance and support);
• counteracting (internal and external contradiction to the proposed system);
• conformal (conditional external acceptance with internal denial);
• completely indifferent;
• negating (criticism of the system, denial, attempts to change it).

The first serious breakdown of the established value system occurs in adolescence. Then comes the peak of development of moral consciousness. However, its formation begins even earlier.

American psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg developed a theory of moral development of the individual. The author identified three stages of development of moral consciousness. Each stage has two substages:

1. Pre-conventional. The first stage is a focus on punishment and obedience (how can I avoid punishment?). The second stage is hedonic orientation (what good does this do to me?).
2. Conventional. The first stage is orientation towards the values ​​of a significant group (the model of a good child, an obedient citizen). The second stage is an attitude towards maintaining the established order, rules, justice (following the rules and laws).
3. Post-conventional. The first stage is the idea of ​​morality as a product of a social contract. The second stage is your own ethical principles, living according to your conscience. Laws are perceived as a flexible mechanism, but life, liberty and justice are valued more.

According to Kohlberg's theory, most people reach the second stage of the second stage and stop there. In general, the level of development of moral consciousness depends on the level of intelligence and general development of the individual.

The transition to a new level or stage occurs through the development of empathy and cognitive skills. The new stage retains everything that was learned in the previous ones. You cannot skip any stage, but you can linger at one of the stages or go down. Moreover, development and transitions do not depend on age. Some people can reach the third level already in their youth, while others spend their entire lives at the first level.

Moral norms and principles are formed exclusively in the process of social interaction. Punishment and censure are not effective methods of moral education. You can instill values ​​in a child only by personal example or examples from books, films, cartoons, games, etc. The same thing happens in adult life. You can change your value system and develop moral consciousness at any age.

Definition

Morality can be considered as an internal regulator of human behavior. It is assumed that the individual is independently aware of his moral duty. At the same time, she is guided by generalized principles of morality. And neither mass habits nor authoritative examples can influence the individual’s sense of responsibility for neglecting them. In this case, conscience comes to the fore. A person’s moral values ​​allow him to formulate his moral obligations to loved ones, to society, to himself, to take responsibility for his vision of good, evil, the meaning of life, a sense of duty, and justice.

That is, morality is one of the ways to regulate the behavior of people in society. This is a system of norms and principles that determine the nature of relationships between people in accordance with what concepts of good and evil, fair and unworthy, are accepted in this society. The main function of morality is regulatory. Moral norms and values ​​guide and correct human activity by taking into account the opinions of society. The auxiliary function of this concept is to participate in the formation of human personality and self-awareness. Morality contributes to the emergence and consolidation of a person’s views on the meaning of life, responsibility to society, the need for respect for the individual and the dignity of other people. Behavior and actions are assessed by moral consciousness from the point of view of compliance with morality. Evaluation can be expressed in approval, censure, sympathy.

The moral values ​​of society are special in that they regulate the consciousness and behavior of people in all spheres of life: in everyday life, in the family, in production activities, in interpersonal relationships. We encounter them every day. Moral principles embrace all people, consolidate the basis of culture, relationships created in the process of development of society.

Current state of values

In the modern world, there is a modernization of moral values, which is caused by the changes that occur in people. Most people are now focused on achieving success and innovation, that is, changes in society. In psychology, this was called social evolution - the reaction of the human species to changing living conditions. Modern people try to determine their own goals and objectives in life, rather than support established traditions and norms.

Many modern researchers note that Russia is in a state of moral crisis: material values ​​prevail over spiritual ones, people have developed a craving for the search for bodily pleasures and pleasures, a clearly expressed focus on individualism and selfishness, and a clear idea of ​​the goals of human life has disappeared.

But this does not mean that all people have lost morality and that the future of humanity is doomed. Self-development is a priority, and the development of each person ensures the development of the entire society. The value system has become different, but this does not mean that it has become worse or better. But asocial and immoral individuals have existed at all times. And the value system also invariably changed.

“Morality never falls or collapses, it just changes,” A. Nikonov, Russian publicist and journalist.

In conclusion, we recommend reading the article “Values, beliefs and attitudes of the individual. Their types, structure and influence on human development.”

How are these values ​​expressed at work?

Universal moral values

However, there are some values ​​that are presented as "universal" because they are present in almost every society in the world. For example: freedom, equality, respect, education and justice.

Realizing that respect for one's fellow man should be a prerequisite in social life can help avoid one of the most unpleasant and negative consequences that a conflict of different moral values ​​can bring: discrimination and prejudice among people.

Values ​​in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Some of these moral values ​​are so fundamental that they are included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Among the values ​​highlighted in the Declaration are freedom of individual choice, political freedom and the development of solidarity.

Equality between people is also a value defined in the Declaration and means that everyone is equal regardless of cultural, racial, religious, social or economic differences.

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 tend to focus on characteristics understood as essential for a better way of living or operating in society as a whole.

Are there eternal values?

Throughout the long history of mankind, there have been many different ideals. Many of them have not lost their relevance even after many millennia and have survived to this day. Biblical moral norms such as “do not kill,” “do not steal,” “do not envy,” “do not lie” will live forever. People in all centuries have strictly condemned meanness, malice, betrayal, and slander. For most people, moral values ​​are honesty, courage, modesty, kindness and self-control.

Humanity or humanism remains a very important moral ideal. This naturally does not mean that all people need to be embraced. Humane treatment of people is achieved only through compliance with the norms and principles of morality. This means that you need to be tolerant of other people, forgive their shortcomings, be merciful, sometimes even sacrificing your interests.

If you are told: “Describe moral values,” you will probably also remember patriotism, hard work, responsibility, and justice. All these moral standards play an important role in human life. Each of us contains both good and bad qualities, but the most valuable moral characteristics allow us to create a generalized image of a morally ideal person.

Sources

• https://www.syl.ru/article/174906/new_nravstvennyie-tsennosti—chto-eto-kak-formiruyutsya-nravstvennyie-tsennosti
• https://HemoFenix.ru/kommunikaciya/moralnye-cennosti-primery.html
• https://psychologist.tips/4797-nravstvennye-tsennosti-eto-problema-sovremennogo-obshhestva-vidy-urovni-razvitie-tsennostej.html
• https://mystroimmir.ru/moyput/tsennosti-lichnosti.html
• https://ru.uzvisit.com/1652-moral-values
• https://FB.ru/article/123519/moralnyie-tsennosti-eto-fundament-cheloveka

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