What primary value do you see in morality?

so received this question/comment and thought it was a good question to answer. what is particularly interesting about the question is that it asks what 'value'. even posing the question in terms of 'value' assumes an ethical/moral framework. since the field of ethics is in part concerned with what 'value' is, the origin and basis of 'value', how one deals with competing 'values', and other related issues. a particular moral system or moral perspective, for instance, takes a position on what is and is not of 'value'. basically, to answer the question one would already have to have a moral view and then use that view to judge its own 'value'.

one response to the question would simply be that the question itself shows one primary value in morality in that we are concerned with what we 'value' and we want to know why values are important to us. however, the question is also asking about morality in a general everyday sense. I think being moral helps to give our lives meaning and purpose because value is what drives us. why do you go to work? why do you spend time with family? behind our actions are our values, what we believe to be important to us. our decisions are based on what we choose to value. if you decide to get an education for instance there is something you value about it either directly or indirectly. maybe you see an inherent value in education itself such that you are willing to sacrifice something else you value such as your free time so that you can pursue what is of higher value to you.

you might say that this does not seem to be the same as an ethical decision. and I think this is because we tend to think of primarily the times we struggle with what action to pursue as the focus of ethics. but ethics is concerned with more than just moral dilemmas but also our moral way of being. what does it mean to be a good person? how does one ensure one's decisions are morally sound? are our actions consistent with what we value? but similar to the question posed in the comment, none of these are easy questions to answer.

being moral

ever wonder who out there makes a living thinking about morality and ethics? well, that would be a person like me, an ethicist. like anything else there are varying opinions on what the role of an ethicist is, what kind of background one should have, as well as how valuable their thoughts are on everyday moral issues.

I happen to have a background in philosophy with a primary specialization in ethics and I believe part of an ethicist's role should be to engage others in ethical issues and concerns. so for this blog I am aiming to discuss current moral issues and examine ethical questions from one philosopher's perspective, namely mine. as far as how valuable my thoughts are on everyday moral issues...that's up to you.