What is “Value Preference”?
Posted by khuram on January 27, 2008
What is “Value Preference”?
Sometimes it happens that you speak the truth. It is right to speak the truth, after all. But that truth can result in severe loss for someone. In these situations, there comes a kind of clash between two or more values. Here “value” means some action, behavior or attitude that can rightfully or legitimately be expected from someone under given circumstance or situation. In the matter under discussion, there are two values involved. Since it is rightful or legitimate to expect that a person shall tell the truth, so telling truth is first “value” in this case. And since it is also rightful to expect that a person shall not cause any severe loss to let’s say his friend, so to protect friends from severe loss is the other “value” in this case.
This clash of values shall direct that person to choose between telling truth and saving his friend from a severe loss. Actually, here, this person has to prefer one value to the other one. In such a case, if that person saves his friend from a severe loss by telling a minor lie, then this “decision” of telling a minor lie may not make him a “liar”. This is just a case of “value preference”!
January 28, 2008 at 10:04 am
You have rightly said that value preference phenomenon has no harm but the care should be taken if that value preference is harming the third one.
Like you are speaking a lie caz your friend is in need but your lie is hurting the third person in such a situation you should avoid lying is it will hurt another human.