Unit 1: The Nature of Human Values
In this first unit, you will have the opportunity to gain an understanding of the nature of human values and their practical relevance in the workplace. You will identify human values found in your country culture and your cultural heritage or native traditions, and relate them to human values found in workplaces around the world. You will also have a chance to see ways in which you have already applied human values in challenging situations – an important confidence-building step. “Human Values are those qualities of a human being which are desirable, respected, worthy, esteemed, dominant, and which are sanctioned by a given society. They are universal and are the essential foundation for good character. (They include) the profound moral insights of the world’s great enduring civilizations. The value-based approach to water education seeks to bring out, emphasise, and stress desirable human qualities, which therefore help us in making informed choices about water resources management.” UN-HABITAT “Human Values in Water Education”
Values Value – from the Latin “valere”: “to be strong,” “to be worth”. Values are attitudes, feelings and convictions regarding what is of “strong worth” (“important”) to us in what we think, say or do “A value is a principle or a quality that is considered worthwhile or desirable… validated by social approval.” M. Kapani, Education in Human Values
Participants at a group session on Human Values and Ethics in the Workplace (HVEW) held in Bhopal, India, October 2005
Values are inherent in all societies – ideals and shared beliefs that bond a community together
PAGE 17 of the Individual Guide
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