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Journal of Beijing Normal University(Social Sciences) ›› 2023, Vol. 0 ›› Issue (6): 58-72.

• Value and Culture • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Rethinking the Concept of Value

JIANG Chang   

  1. Political Philosophy Research Center,Central China Normal University,Wuhan 430079,China
  • Online:2023-11-25 Published:2024-01-25

Abstract: Value relations and value are universal in the universe,not unique to human beings. In essence,value is the nature of a thing that it can meet the needs of other things or be conducive to the survival and development of other things. Its nature is to meet the needs of other things or make contributions to other things. The word of “good” has always been regarded as a basic word of value in history. After the value concept came out,“good” became a word to express moral value,and “good” in the daily sense is still roughly synonymous with “value”. Value can be divided into the value of things and human value. Human value has its own particularity:It is usually the value recognized by people,not necessarily the objective value of things to humans. Humans increasingly process and transform natural things into things of value suitable for their own needs,and conceive and manufacture things of value according to their own needs. Humans set their own value as the highest value,and set themselves as the subject of value,and judge the value based on their own needs or desires. Many of the values pursued by human beings are the unique conceptual state of human beings,rather than the objective nature of things. The value nature of a thing determines its value and merits. Things that are harmful to others have negative value. The imperfection of things generated by the evolution of the universe is the ultimate source of negative value. The natural negative value of things in the universe is inevitable,but the artificial negative value can be avoided or reduced.

Key words: value, good, human value, value carriers, negative value

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