“It remains an experience of unparalleled (incomparable) value that . . .”
So begins a proposition in the history of ideas that is pivotal for my life. It has been 30+ years since I came across this proposition in a graduate course reading assignment. I still feel the full/penetrating force of the phrase -- ‘unparalleled (incomparable) value’.
Very early we begin the lifelong exercise of clarifying, testing, revising how/where we assign value. Our values serve as a prism through which we interpret information before making decisions. Some values are personal preferences we can forego with minimal disturbance. However, we regard certain relationships, experiences, circumstances, objects, and ideas to be of such importance that we are prepared to suffer great loss rather than to violate them.
The key to maintaining integrity? A trustworthy set of unparalleled values. The key to having diverse and enriching experiences/relationships? Assigning unparalleled value only where we must. Staying in this tension strengthens our capacity to tolerate ‘value dissonance’ as we seek to live well together.
Our values lead us to judgments about what ought or ought not to be done. We can usually act upon our values without much conflict. Still, we do find ourselves fairly often in situations that require a collective judgment by a number of individuals with competing values. In order to avoid harmful abuse of power, a reflective approach to decision-making -- i.e., ethics -- is necessary.
Ethics has to do with the determination of what ought to be done in a given situation, all things considered. Some differences in judgment can be traced to variations in reasoning patterns. For instance, you may be very logical, deductive, abstract. I may be more intuitive, pragmatic, affective. Other differences in judgment can be traced to variations in what we take into consideration and the value we assign to what we take into consideration.
Before a thorough analysis of possible decisions can be undertaken, the participants drawn together in the decision-making situation must respect each other enough to listen carefully in order to recognize and understand their differences. An ethical dilemma arises when compelling value-driven justifications exist for two or more conflicting courses of action. On initial examination, the justifications for the conflicting courses of action may be equally compelling.
Ethics, as a discipline within medicine, involves three steps. First, a framework is established for identifying and analyzing the differing core values. Second, a determination is made as to whose interests should be treated as most critical in the situation. Third, a course of action is adopted that promotes those interests with the least imposition of compromise or harm for those affected by the decision.
To what (or whom) do you assign ‘unparalleled (incomparable) value’?
