Understanding Human Values

This volume presents theoretical, methodological, and empirical advances in understanding, and also in the effects of understanding, individual and societal values.

This original and engaging book advocates an unabashedly empirical approach to understanding human values: abstract ideals that we consider important, such as freedom, equality, achievement, helpfulness, security, tradition, and peace. Our values are relevant to everything we do, helping us choose between careers, schools, romantic partners, places to live, things to buy, who to vote for, and much more. There is enormous public interest in the psychology of values and a growing recognition of the need for a deeper understanding of the ways in which values are embedded in our attitudes and behavior. How do they affect our well-being, our relationships with other people, our prosperity, and our environment? In his examination of these questions, Maio focuses on tests of theories about values, through observations of what people actually think and do. In the past five decades, psychological research has learned a lot about values, and this book describes what we have learned and why it is important. It provides the first overview of psychological research looking at how we mentally represent and use our values, and constitutes important reading for psychology students at all levels, as well as academics in psychology and related social and health sciences.

This book presents a framework for understanding human values and their role in life, work, business and leadership. It offers an explanation for the spectrum of human behaviour, from a self-focused, survivalist mindset that has scant regard for ethics, through to compliance with laws and conventions, and then to the aspiration to live a higher ethical and spiritual life. The book offers a practical guide on how to develop a more ethical way of working and being, both personally and in organisations. Rather than being an additional burden on people or organisations, ethics and values are a liberating force, enabling higher performance, better quality relationships and an expanded sense of purpose and identity.

A jaw-dropping exploration of everything that goes wrong when we build AI systems and the movement to fix them. Today’s “machine-learning” systems, trained by data, are so effective that we’ve invited them to see and hear for us—and to make decisions on our behalf. But alarm bells are ringing. Recent years have seen an eruption of concern as the field of machine learning advances. When the systems we attempt to teach will not, in the end, do what we want or what we expect, ethical and potentially existential risks emerge. Researchers call this the alignment problem. Systems cull résumés until, years later, we discover that they have inherent gender biases. Algorithms decide bail and parole—and appear to assess Black and White defendants differently. We can no longer assume that our mortgage application, or even our medical tests, will be seen by human eyes. And as autonomous vehicles share our streets, we are increasingly putting our lives in their hands. The mathematical and computational models driving these changes range in complexity from something that can fit on a spreadsheet to a complex system that might credibly be called “artificial intelligence.” They are steadily replacing both human judgment and explicitly programmed software. In best-selling author Brian Christian’s riveting account, we meet the alignment problem’s “first-responders,” and learn their ambitious plan to solve it before our hands are completely off the wheel. In a masterful blend of history and on-the ground reporting, Christian traces the explosive growth in the field of machine learning and surveys its current, sprawling frontier. Readers encounter a discipline finding its legs amid exhilarating and sometimes terrifying progress. Whether they—and we—succeed or fail in solving the alignment problem will be a defining human story. The Alignment Problem offers an unflinching reckoning with humanity’s biases and blind spots, our own unstated assumptions and often contradictory goals. A dazzlingly interdisciplinary work, it takes a hard look not only at our technology but at our culture—and finds a story by turns harrowing and hopeful.

The concept of 'human dignity' has become central to politics, law and theology but is little understood. This book presents a wide-ranging collection of edited essays from specialists in law, theology, politics and history and defines the main areas of current debates about the concept in these disciplines.

"Over the course of history, Fraser argues, human values have served primarily not as conservative influences that promote permanence, continuity, and balance - as commonly believed - but as revolutionary forces that, in the long run, promote change by generating and sustaining certain unresolvable conflicts."--BOOK JACKET.

Human Values and Professional Ethics fulfils this noble intention by providing thought-provoking inputs. The reader will be compelled to delve deeper into his own consciousness and explore values that will benefit him and the society. It will also help the reader to develop a holistic perspective towards life. The book explains the essential complementarities between ‘values’ and skills to ensure sustained happiness prosperity. The most delicate issues pertaining to the subject have been discussed in simple language with adequate scientific, logical and practical explanations. Although this book is specially designed for the engineering students of GBTU, the value inputs contained herein, will be equally to all educational disciplines.

The process by which human beings, as they grow toward maturity, develop values is not an automatic one. The process can be fostered by a number of teaching strategies. The strategies include the techniques of self-discovery, the provision of learning environments that encourage growth, and the practice of specific skills. This volume provides a theoretical basis for an understanding of value development together with practical materials for applying the theory in the lives of individuals and institutions. A model, the Four Phases of Consciousness, was designed that charted a pattern of human moral and intellectual growth in terms of what individuals value in life. The model projected a series of four phases through which all humans pass on their journey toward the fullest possible development. Section 1 focuses on value development theory and identifes the four phases of consciousness in detail; analyzes the factors that enable individuals to move through the phases; explores the relationship between skills and the internalization of values; introduces the classification of instrumental, intrapersonal, imaginal, and system skills; and applies the value theory to the educational system. Section 2 presents a series of exercises in each of the four skill areas because skill development is crucial to making changes in behavior and values. All of the exercises are intended to present the individual with new data about the self and to explore a series of choices crucial to the process of giving direction to one's life. Seven appendices are included: (1) application of value theory; (2) feeling words; (3) value/skill/time list; (4) 125 values and their definitions; (5) glossary; (6) bibliography; and (7) Hall-Tonna Inventory of Values. (DB)