Meaning of moral values ​​(what they are, concept and definition)

What are Moral Values:

Moral values ​​are known as the set of norms and customs that are transmitted by society to the individual and that represent the good or correct way of acting.

In this sense, moral values allow us to differentiate between good and bad, right and wrong, right and wrong.

As such, moral values ​​are introduced from early childhood by parents or authority figures, and later, at the school stage, to be reinforced by teachers.

Many of them are also determined by the religion we practice and many others are so ingrained in our societies that their violation can even lead to legal sanctions.

Moral values ​​are, for example, honesty, respect, gratitude, loyalty, tolerance, solidarity, generosity, friendship, kindness and humility, among others.

There are also certain hierarchical scales between moral values ​​that, in the midst of conflict, force us to prioritize one over the other.

For example, loyalty is essential in a friendship, but if a friend has committed a crime and the police question us, the correct thing would be for us to privilege the value of honesty over our loyalty.

Similarly, in certain situations we can alternate between one and the other value.

For example, if we are very happy celebrating an important date, with music at full volume for a few hours, our neighbors will understand that they must put tolerance into practice. But if we exceed the duration of the celebration, and at one in the morning we still keep the volume at maximum, then our neighbors will have every right to demand respect for their dream.

Moral values ​​are fundamental to achieve a climate of harmony and coexistence in societies, in this sense, they can be regulated by society itself through social sanctions, private order, or through penalties or punishments provided for in the legal code of the country.

See also:

• Types of values.Values.

Moral values ​​and ethical values

Although it is often spoken interchangeably of moral values ​​and ethical values, there is a differentiation between one and the other. The ethical values are constituted by a set of rules or guidelines governing the conduct of individuals, such as truth, justice, freedom and responsibility.

While moral values refer to the set of practices or customs common to a society, aimed at establishing a distinction between the correct or positive way of acting, and the incorrect or negative one.

See also:

• Ethical values ​​Relative values ​​Types of standards