Human Values

Sexual Liberalism–Conservatism: The Effect of Human Values, Gender, and Previous Sexual Experience

by Valeschka Guerra

In press in Archives of Sexual Behavior. Co-authored with Valdiney V. Gouveia, Deliane M. Sousa, Tiago J. Lima, & Leogildo A. Freires

Despite theoretical associations, there is a lack of empirical studies on the axiological basis of sexual liberalism –... more Despite theoretical associations, there is a lack of empirical studies on the axiological basis of sexual liberalism – conservatism. Two studies demonstrated important associations
between these constructs for young adults. In Study 1, participants were 353 undergraduate students with a mean age of 20.13 (SD=1.84), who completed the Sexual Liberalism–Conservatism Scale and the Basic Values Survey. In Study 2, participants were 269 undergraduate students, with a mean age of 20.3 (SD= 1.82), who completed a social desirability scale in addition to Study 1 instruments. Results showed how values can predict sexual liberalism–conservatism after controlling for social desirability. Attitudes towards one’s own sexual behavior were more conservative whereas attitudes towards other’s sexual behavior were more liberal. Gender was not a significant predictor of sexual attitudes whereas previous sexual experience showed a significant association to this construct. In general, results corroborated previous findings, showing that participants with a tendency to present socially desirable answers also tended to present themselves as sexually conservative.

A 'way of being' in design practice: Zen and the art of being a human-centred practitioner

by Yoko Akama

Akama, Y. 2012. 'A 'way of being' in design practice: zen and the art of being a human-centred practitioner', Design Philosophy Papers, Vol. 1.

Design’s attempts to address social, ethical and environmental concerns of our time have often been marred by theory... more Design’s attempts to address social, ethical and environmental concerns of our time have often been marred by theory generated by well-meaning scholars who have imposed hard-line definitions and models of what it means to be an ‘ethical designer’. These arguments abstract values and impose ideological and political positions that designers can find difficult to apply in their daily practices. It is not as simple as prescribing the ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ values for designers to have and translate them through design. Whatever values there are, those values need to matter to people who care about them enough to translate them into action . Values are not impersonal. They cannot be detached and be subsumed under a more universal value or comparable importance. The paper opens with a critique of this prescriptive approach to highlight the reasons for why ethical design remains stuck in a rut. I then move to discuss more deeply, the close relationship between being ethical and being a human-centred practitioner in design. In doing so, I critique common notions of human-centred design that gives it an ergonomic, human-factors emphasis, or its ‘do-gooder’ side that is associated with humanitarian design. Instead, I offer an alternative framework for human-centred design based on the Japanese ethical concept woven into what it means to be human.

The Japanese term for ‘human being’ is ningen (人間), composed of two characters for ‘person’ (人), and ‘between’ (間). The Japanese understanding of human as in-betweenness, etymologised by ‘between person’, situates it as a relational being. This is the central framework for my notions of ‘self’ and being ‘human’ . This concept of human is strikingly different from major Western philosophies that emphasises ‘anthropos’ or ‘homo’, denoting the individual. Being human-centred is criticised for perpetuating an anthropocentric position , further contributing to humanity’s self-centredness and environmentally destructive behaviour. The profound ethical difference of conceiving humans as detached and in isolation, compared to the Japanese concept of human as relational in-betweennes, is argued by one of the most significant Japanese philosophers of the twentieth century, Tetsuro Watsuji . He was influenced by hermeneutics, phenomenology, Zen Buddhism and the Japanese indigenous spirituality of Shinto. In his book Rinrigaku, ethics in Japan, Watsuji is critical of Western philosophy (Heidegger and many others ) that emphasises the individual concept of self and the locus of the ethical problem pertaining to the consciousness of the individual. The paper dives deeply into Watsuji’s ethical framework in explaining the ningen ‘between person’ that is significant to my definition of being human-centred. I attempt to combine the Eastern philosophy with the West by bringing in a selection of other philosophers such as Goethe, Bortoft and Merleau-Ponty that have resonance with the argument constructed. There is nothing to be gained from East-West dualism or exoticism, as it locks down discourse. Although these Eastern and Western philosophies that I draw upon have not, until now, directly engaged with each other in the discourse of design , they have many valuable overlaps that I would like to share in this paper.

The relational association located in the betweenness, Watsuji argues, to be human is to shift and change continually – it is undergoing a process of constant transformation. The transformation of a designer to being a human-centred practitioner is achieved in relation to others. This connection between self and others (including people, animals, objects and environment) is essential in positioning and embedding oneself in the world. The transformative process is more than cognitive learning or professional development – it is in fact a process of self-awareness that comes from continually reflecting on our activity, our behaviour and how we are with others. This is reflective practice. Though in contrast to reflection and reflective practice that is grounded in critical theory , I explore this by incorporating aspects of wholeness from Goethe’s phenomenology and embodied perception by Merleau-Ponty . I argue the importance of being a reflective practitioner as the first step in being able to fully understand ourselves, our relationship and our connection to others. This pursuit of self-awareness, through reflective practice, is the central argument of this paper of being a human-centred practitioner. Through weaving together these various frameworks, I discuss the cyclical journey of transformation of the self where reflection is experienced in an immersive, affective, embodied way.

True, long-term sustainable change towards building and creating an ethical practice cannot come from being told what to design or choosing the ‘right’ values to adopt. Neither does it come from simply undertaking community-based projects, taking up a social cause or deploying participatory methods. To manifest and practise human-centredness is not a switch one can flick ‘on’ when you are in the design studio at 9am and ‘off’ when you’re leaving work. Instead, I stress the importance of human-centredness manifesting through all facets of our lives that involves engaging in the in-betweenness with others. It requires active creation and the practising of practice that is truly human-centred and aware – aware of oneself, of others and the world we live in. It is a day-to-day application and manifestation, but it is not merely a mechanical repetition. The significance of this being a practice is that it is a transformation and evolution of ourselves in bringing an awareness and embedded-ness to what we do everyday. It is a path (Tao) we each carve our ‘way of being’ in the world.

Cognitive dynamics: language as values realizing activity

by Stephen J. Cowley

These are proofs that appeared as:
Cowley, S.J. (2012). Cognitive dynamics: language as values realizing activity. In A. Kravchenko (ed). Cognitive Dynamics and Linguistic Interactions, pp. 15-46. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Press.

To challenge cognitivism it is important emphasise how human bodies function. Like other organisms, we evolved to act... more To challenge cognitivism it is important emphasise how human bodies function. Like other organisms, we evolved to act and perceive in changing environments. In spite of the fact that this can be described as representing aspects of the world, there is no reason to think that people use what are representations for the brain (Steiner 2010). The central nervous system deals in the body-world relations that sustain flexible, adaptive behaviour. Bodies use measurable physical events or cognitive dynamics to control how they coordinate with the world. Humans extend this general capacity by cooperating in cultural settings.

Biology thus becomes enmeshed with history and, in looking at language too, this must be traced to minded behaviour. It follows that language -and teaching languages -must be explicated with respect to how encounters with the world are experienced as meaningful (Gibson 1979). Far from being subjective or abstract, cognitive dynamics function as public opportunities and threats. Social activity realizes values that motivate inhibition, thinking and communication (Gibson 1950; Hodges & Geyer 2006; Hodges 2007). In language, successes and failures arise as we mesh wordings with experience of items that serve in a (partly) shared social world. Using this perspective, I turn to pedagogical design and signs of writing to consider how applied linguistics can be enriched by viewing language as values realizing activity. The main concern of applied linguists becomes, not learning, but SLA or 'skilled linguistic action'.

Postmaterialism as a lifetime learning process

by Raul Tormos

presented at the conference of the European Survey Research Association, Warsaw 2009.

Democracy, value inquiry, and Dewey's metaphysics

by H.G. Callaway

Jeunes d'ici et d'ailleurs: de la rencontre des valeurs à la distinction des genres''

by Hélène Belleau

Belleau, H. et J. Le Gall (2004), « Les jeunes d’ici et d’ailleurs : de la rencontre des valeurs à la distinction des genres », dans Les valeurs des jeunes. État de la question, dans Gilles Pronovost et Chantal Royer (dir), p.187-204.

Constituição, Utopia e Utopismo - O Exemplo da Constituição Cidadã Brasileira

by Paulo Ferreira da Cunha

in "Revista Jurídica Cesumar – Mestrado",  vol. 9, n.º 1, 2009, pp. 35-55.

Sumário: A Questão Conceitual. 1.1 Constituintes, Mito e Utopia; 2 O Género Literário Constituição; 3 Utopia e... more Sumário: A Questão Conceitual. 1.1 Constituintes, Mito e Utopia; 2 O Género Literário Constituição; 3 Utopia e Constituição; 4 Categorias; 4.1 Os grandes paradigmas ou épocas (tempos) do Direito; 4.2 As grandes formas de pensamento crítico; 5 O Lugar e o Papel da Constituição; 6 Utopia e Utopismo na Constituição Cidadã brasileira; 6.1 Os Valores e o Preâmbulo; 6.2 Alguns traços de utopismo constitucional; 7 O Paradigma da Cláusula Geral e o Paradigma Detalhista; 8 Conclusão. De novo os Conceitos e as Coisas: utopia e utopismo; Referências.

Natural Right to Grow and Die in the Form of Wholeness: A Philosophical Interpretation of the Ontological Status of Brain-dead

by Masahiro Morioka

Diogenes, Vol.57, No.3 (2011):103-116.

In this paper, I would like to argue that brain-dead small children have a natural right not to be invaded by other... more In this paper, I would like to argue that brain-dead small children have a natural right not to be invaded by other people even if their organs can save the lives of other suffering patients. My basic idea is that growing human beings have the right to grow in the form of wholeness, and dying human beings also have the right to die in the form of wholeness; in other words, they have the right to be protected from outside invasion, unless they have declared their wish to abandon that right beforehand. I call this the principle of wholeness. Natural rights, which were discussed by Hobbes and Locke in the 17th century, have to be extended to include the right to grow and die in the form of wholeness in the age of scientific civilization, where peripheral human lives are being threatened by aggressive biomedicine and other advanced technologies.

EFFECTS OF SELF SELECTION IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROCESS (ADP); CONSIDERING END USER’S PERSONALIZATION (EUP)

by Mahdi Torabi

Mahdi Torabi, Mahmud Jusan and Alireza. Daneshpour
International Conference On Innovation and Technology For Sustainable Built Environment (ICITSBE2012), Universiti Teknologi MARA (Perak), Malaysia, Apr. 2012

Diversity of human requirements in his living environment is obvious. Architecture ideal is to respond such these... more Diversity of human requirements in his living environment is obvious. Architecture ideal is to respond such these diverse requirements. The Architectural Design Process (ADP) which has been defined for this basic purpose aims at fulfilling not only physical and functional but also psychological human needs. Recent trends in architectural design show that in most of the cases, the focus of ADP has been shifted to the business goals, fancy features and technological capabilities. Even if none of these approaches can be blamed, but what has been lost here is a mere respect to human values. In this regard, paying attention to end users’ ideas, believes, attitudes and desires, which has been named self-selection in this research, can be considered as an appropriate method for deriving final users’ values. Reviewing the literature review, demonstrates that End User’s Personalization (EUP) is a closest concept to self-selection, in which both emphasis on the importance of end-users’ values and ideas. In other words, it can be said that personalization is a format of self-selection on end-users’ side. Designing according to EUP principles would lead us to present more efficient, satisfying and desirable product which consequently results in increasing of our output’s appeal for final users.

THE EFFECTS OF ISLAMIC VALUES ON DESIGN PROCESS OF ARCHITECTURE

by Mahdi Torabi

Mahdi Torabi and Toktam Hanaee
5th SASTech Symposium 2011, Khavaran Higher-education Institute, Mashhad, Iran, May. 2011

ISLAMIC VALUES AND THEIR INFLUENCES ON ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

by Mahdi Torabi

Mahdi Torabi and Mahmud Jusan
5th SEATUC Symposium, Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST), Vietnam, Feb. 2011

Needless to say that since architecture satisfies the basic needs of humanity, it must be essentially conservative.... more Needless to say that since architecture satisfies the basic needs of humanity, it must be essentially conservative. Based on Rokeach’s Concept of Value, “values” are the most important components of belief system. Although Muslims around the world have different observations and understanding of Islam, based on their culture and norms and the politics of their societies all of them believe that there is a clear link between human values and Islamic values. In addition, the conception of human values is quite clear even without specific definitions. Islamic values influence the way Muslim architects conduct the design practices. Different literatures have been reviewed, so far tangible and practical Islamic values have been identified. These factors as Islamic values include “neighborliness, inclusively, equality, fairness, social justice, hospitality, forbearance, broad-mindedness, and so on, capable to make specific lifestyle and activity system. From this activity system the architects would be able to create a design process if a systematic approach to the values can be constructed.

Les valeurs de l'Europe: entre l'idéal, le discours et la réalité / European Values: Between Ideal, Speech-making, and Reality

by Stella Ghervas

Published in "Rethinking Democracy", Kiev (Ukraine), February 2012
Article in Russian, Ukrainian, and French.

La démocratie est un projet idéal qui a joué un rôle clef dans les évolutions des deux derniers siècles, en se... more La démocratie est un projet idéal qui a joué un rôle clef dans les évolutions des deux derniers siècles, en se matérialisant de façon imparfaite dans une variété de constructions politiques. L'Union européenne ne fait pas exception, en présentant un discours dont la démocratie est certes une valeur essentielle, mais qui est néanmoins différent de celui des États-nations à cause de l'emphase qu'il met sur des valeurs dites "européennes" (diversité, tolérance, liberté de mouvement des personnes et des biens, etc.).

Or ce discours ne dit pas tout sur les idéaux philosophiques qui ont mené à la construction européenne, ni sur les compromis quotidiens voire les contradictions de la politique communautaire. Dans une perspective historique, cette contribution illustrera l'évolution de ces trois "niveaux" des valeurs, du XIXe siècle à nos jours. Leur opposition dialectique, toujours en mouvement, fournit un éclairage sur la "crise identitaire" que vit l'Europe élargie d'aujourd'hui.

Wisdom and Futures Studies

by Vahid V. Motlagh

Book Review: Wisdom, Consciousness, and the Future by Tom Lombardo. 461 pages. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris, 2011. ISBN13: 978-1-4628-8360-8. US$23.99 paper

In the coming decades we will witness a new collective enlightenment which many futurists describe as a “significant... more In the coming decades we will witness a new collective enlightenment which many futurists describe as a “significant jump in the collective mental functioning of humanity”. As expected by many writers, contemporary challenges and evolutionary forces will push humanity to a new level of “cosmic consciousness.” And for Lombardo, a core feature of this evolutionary transformation is “heightened future consciousness.”

The Image of Yugoslavia among Post-Yugoslav Youth

by Andrej Kirbis

Co-authored with Sergej Flere, published in Südosteuropa 59(3), 330–348.

This article discusses the results of a cross-cultural survey regarding the perception of Yugoslavia among social... more This article discusses the results of a cross-cultural survey regarding the perception of Yugoslavia among social sicence students in former Yugoslav countries. A favourable attitude
toward the former Yugoslavia was detected in Montenegro, Macedonia and in both bosnian entities. The resolutely negative perception of Yugoslavia prevailing in Kosovo and Croatia
has to do with a long-term commitment to independence among Kosovo-Albanians and Croats. The rather reserved stance towards Yugoslavia among Serbs is a historical novelty.
Pro-Yugoslav attitudes generally correlated positively with individuals inclined toward a leftist ideological identification and economic egalitarianism, whereas such associations were
not found for those who identify with authoritarianism and traditionalism. The Slovenian and Croatian samples support this finding while the Serbian and Macedonian samples associate
pro-Yugoslav attitudes with authoritarianism. This reflects differences in the perception of Yugoslavia in various environments. it was likewise found that significant variation exists among attitudes regarding the political natures of the present states and the hypothetical renewal of Yugoslavia.

Subject political culture in post-communist societies: a comparative study of post-Yugoslav students [Podložniška politična kultura v postkomunističnih družbah: primerjalna študija postjugoslovanskih študentov]

by Andrej Kirbis

Co-authored with Sergej Flere, Published in Družboslovne razprave, 27 (66), 45-66

The present study examined several measures of political culture among 2,178 social science students (M age = 19.8... more The present study examined several measures of political culture among 2,178 social science students (M age = 19.8 years, SD = 1.89) in eight post-Yugoslav entities. The aggregate level results indicated that socio-economically less developed environments had higher average levels of subject political culture, which is characterized by authoritarianism, general traditionalism, traditional gender roles attitudes, state paternalism and general distrust. The only exception from this tendency was the measure of economic egalitarianism, where between-country differences were not significant. Authors demonstrate that nearly two decades after the dissolution of Yugoslavia some of the same value differences are still found in its successor territories. They conclude that the process of democratic consolidation is far from over in post-Yugoslav entities and that Slovenia comes closest to achieving that goal in political-cultural context.

Authoritarian political culture and political participation: A comparative study of established and postcommunist European democracies

by Andrej Kirbis

Co-authored with Musil, B., Flere, S., Tavčar Krajnc, M., & Naterer, A. (2011).
Paper presented at the Political Psychology Networking Conference for the Post-Communist Region – Political Behavior Research Group (PolBeRG) at the Central European University (CEU), November 25–27, Budapest, Hungary.

Inglehart’s theory of postmodernization (1997) and theory of human development (Inglehart and Welzel, 2007) predict... more Inglehart’s theory of postmodernization (1997) and theory of human development (Inglehart and Welzel, 2007) predict that political cultural orientations are strongly associated with political and cognitive mobilization. It is argued that non-authoritarian (i.e. postmaterialist, libertarian, democratic) orientations are based in participatory component and self-actualization, while traditional orientations contribute to political pasivization (Gabriel, 2004). Past research in established Western democracies has largely confirmed these predictions (see, among others, Inglehart, 1997; Shin, 1999; Flanagan and Lee, 2003; Gabriel, 2004; Gabriel and van Deth, 2004; Gundelach, 2004) and similar results have also been found in a few studies that included postcommunist countries (e.g., Klingemann et al., 2006). Such findings are especially important since it is also argued that consolidation of postcommunist democracies could be halted if “authoritarians” are found significantly more active in public life (e.g., in electoral turnout, party membership, contacting politicians, etc.) than “democrats”  (Thomassen and van Deth, 1998). The aim of our research was twofold: firstly, we compared levels of political participation and authoritarian orientations in three regions: seventeen established EU democracies, ten Central and Eastern European EU member states, and six post-Yugoslav non-EU countries. Secondly, we analyzed the relationship between three measures of authoritarian political culture (e.g., Klingemann et al., 2006) and three types of political participation: electoral turnout, conventional non-electoral participation (party membership) and protest participation (signing petitions, joining in boycotts, and attending lawful/peaceful demonstrations) in all three regions. We employed the newest (2008) wave of European Values Study. The results indicated that 1) postcommunist citizens are more authoritarian oriented than their Western counterparts; and 2) in all three regions “authoritarians” are less likely to be engaged in all three types of political participation. As expected, the associations are strongest in Western democracies. Implications of the results and future research suggestions are discussed.

Believe it or not

by Anthony Gottlieb

Book chapter on global trends in religious belief, with special reference to religion in the USA and the "secularisation" thesis. To be published in March by Profile Books, in "Megachange: The World in 2050", edited by Daniel Franklin and John Andrews.

An Examination of the Humane Values Education Program on a Group of Science High School Students

by Halil Eksi

Bülent DİLMAÇ; Adnan KULAKSIZOĞLU, Halil EKŞİ
Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice
7 (3) • September 2007 • 1241-1261

The purpose of this study is to find out whether the humane values education program
has produced any changes on... more The purpose of this study is to find out whether the humane values education program
has produced any changes on the students’ level of humane values. The research
was conducted with the first-and second-grade students in Konya Meram Science
High School in the 2006-2007 academic year. Thirty students participated in
the study. Half of the participants were assigned to the experimental group and the
other half to the control group. The research period spans April & May. Having prepared
the education program and the scale, the experimental and control groups were
formed objectively. The experimental group, consisting of 15 students, was provided
with the Humane Values Education Program lasting 14 sessions. Two sessions
were held in a week. Statistical methods were used to balance the control and
experimental group. The control group didn’t receive any program. Findings of the
research can be summarized as follows: Between the pre-test and post-test of the experimental
group, a significant difference can be seen in favor of the post- test. There
is no such a difference for the control group. According to the post-test results of
the control and experimental group, there are meaningful differences in favor of the
experimental group in the sub-dimensions of responsibility, friendship, amiability,
respect, honesty, and tolerance. Thus, these results show the effectiveness of the
program presented. The sub-dimensions of the Humane Values Education Program
given above show that this study is effective with regard to affective, cognitive, and
behavioral outcomes. Suggestions are made in the light of the findings and it has been
concluded that the program is effective in the development of secondary education
students’ value acquisition.

Allison, P. (2000). Authenticity and outdoor education. In P. Barnes (Ed.), Values and outdoor learning (pp. 43–49). Penrith: AfOL.

by Pete Allison

Values and identity process theory: theoretical integration and empirical interactions

by Rusi Jaspal

Bardi, A., Jaspal, R., Polek, E. & Schwartz, S. (forthcoming). Values and identity process theory: theoretical integration and empirical interactions. In R. Jaspal & G.M. Breakwell (eds.), Identity Process Theory: Identity, Social Action and Social Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

**FOR A PDF OF FULL PAPER, E-MAIL ME**

Identity Process Theory (IPT; Breakwell, 1986, 2001) and the Schwartz Value Theory (Schwartz, 1992) focus upon... more Identity Process Theory (IPT; Breakwell, 1986, 2001) and the Schwartz Value Theory (Schwartz, 1992) focus upon distinct but related aspects of the self and have some overlapping propositions particularly in regards to human motivation. Hence, it is surprising that there has been no attempt so far to integrate them theoretically or empirically. This chapter provides the first attempt to address this lacuna in the literature. After presenting key elements of the value theory and the strengths of IPT vis-à-vis competing frameworks of identity, the chapter provides a theoretical integration of the two theories, first in general, and then specifically with regard to identity, value change and social processes. The second part of the chapter provides an empirical examination of interactions between identity processes and values.

Values (e.g., achievement, tradition) convey what is important to people in their lives and according to IPT form part of the individual’s identity. The Schwartz value theory is currently the leading theory of values due to its comprehensive empirical support worldwide, while IPT elucidates the fundamental processes underlying identity construction. Both theories discuss internal organisation (of identity or values) but they differ in focus. While values constitute the criteria individuals use to evaluate actions, people, the self and events, IPT explains how and why identity structures change, particularly in the context of social change. Similarities and differences between the two theoretical frameworks are analysed in the chapter. An important common element of both IPT and values is that of change, both individual and social. Here theoretical suggestions of change in identity (e.g. Breakwell, 2004) and values (Bardi & Goodwin, in press) are integrated.

While IPT mainly outlines the processes that occur in all individuals, albeit mediated by culture, the Schwartz value theory specifies individual differences in the contents of prioritised values. Hence, the Schwartz value theory can add an individual-difference dimension to understand identity processes, which would enrich the theory. We discuss some of the theoretical and empirical advantages associated with integrating frameworks which collectively address the individual and group levels of the self. This will be examined in the empirical part of the paper by testing whether values moderate the link between certain identity principles and the centrality of self-aspects. To illustrate, we predict that the self-direction values will moderate the relationship between a distinctiveness-enhancing identity aspect and its centrality to the individual, such that for those who value self-direction, the more a self-aspect is perceived as distinguishing the self from others, the more central it will be to the individual. As another example, for who value conservation (conformity, tradition, and security), the more a self-aspect is seen as enhancing (1) belonging and (2) continuity, the more central it will be to the individual (Jaspal & Yampolsky, in press). Several other hypotheses will be tested as well.

The chapter concludes that integration of these two theories can advance the understanding of processes of the self, particularly in relation to identity and value change, and encourages researchers to incorporate both values and identity processes in their research into the self.