What is Value?: Value vs Values: The Origins of 'Good'"

Value vs Values

Reference:【Value (ethics and social sciences) - Wikipedia】 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Value_(ethics_and_social_sciences)

GPT-4's response: 

Value:The inherent worth or importance of something. 
Values:Beliefs or standards determining what is desirable or important.
Common Ground:Both influence and are influenced by individual and collective judgments.
Differences:Nature: Value is about worth; values are judgment criteria.
Influence: Value depends on utility or demand; values are shaped by culture and experience.
Application: Value is for measurement; values guide behavior.  

Despite their differences, value and values are intrinsically linked. One cannot exist without the other. They both possess a degree of subjectivity, as what one person or culture deems valuable might differ from another. Moreover, they play pivotal roles in shaping human choices and actions, reflecting a society's collective mindset and priorities. 

The Hidden Influences: Unconscious States in Value Judgments

Our daily value judgments are not merely derived from immediate information or conscious thoughts. In fact, underlying our assessments are significant influences from latent psychological states, cognitive biases, and the unconscious realm.

For instance, genetics, childhood experiences, and even innate cognitive biases might impact our adult value systems and criteria for making judgments. Cognitive biases like confirmation bias, where we tend to favor information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs, or availability bias, where recent experiences disproportionately influence our judgments, play roles in our daily evaluations.

Sigmund Freud referred to the power of the unconscious as "repression." Repressed emotions and memories remain active subconsciously, continuously shaping our feelings and perspectives. Carl Jung went further with the concept of the "collective unconscious," referring to universally shared values, symbols, and myths. This collective unconscious also deeply influences our value judgments.

Recognizing these hidden factors — from biases to deeply seated psychological influences — is crucial for a clearer understanding of how we evaluate and make decisions in our lives.
Reference:【Unconscious mind - Wikipedia】 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconscious_mind

Reference:【Cognitive bias - Wikipedia】 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_bias

The differences in worldview according to developmental stages provided a useful perspective for differentiating things that were previously conflated.
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Introspecting Value Judgments: The Intersection of Decision-Making Theory and Psychological Cognition

When I began studying business management, my initial curiosity revolved around "What is management?" This curiosity quickly evolved to "What defines a manager?" and "What is the primary role of a manager?" I came to believe that a manager's main role lies in decision-making, and this notion captivated me. During my master's program, I researched how the advent of portable communication devices reshaped the way organizations perceive their external environment and its impact on management and decision-making.

For me, when considering the term "value" through the lens of "decision-making", it's fundamentally shaped by influences like "emotional contagion" and the "unconscious", culminating in what is ultimately deemed "good".

A profound question I often contemplate is: how can I introspectively recognize and understand the underlying mental states that shape my value judgments, and how can I perceive and recognize those of others?

This issue intertwines deeply with the crux of decision-making in management. Ultimately, decision-making is a continuous process of determining what we value most and which values to prioritize. This raises broader questions about the very essence and definition of management and projects.

According to the concept of "bounded rationality" proposed by Herbert Simon, we constantly pursue the best choices within the constraints of limited information, limited time, and limited cognitive abilities. For instance, making decisions based on limited information can lead to unforeseen risks. Also, making immediate decisions within a restricted timeframe may promote the pursuit of short-term benefits. Humans have limitations in processing a large amount of information at once. Due to these cognitive constraints, individuals are likely to produce value judgments heavily influenced by simple heuristics, past precedents, previous experiences, and existing value systems.

Reference:【Bounded rationality - Wikipedia】 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bounded_rationality

What I truly value goes beyond textbook knowledge often associated with MBA programs, but also the psychological insight essential for in-depth situational analysis. The practice of deeply understanding the mental state behind my value judgments has been the key to enhancing this insight. Through this process, I've realized that the most effective way to deeply understand others is through genuine empathy.

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Where does “good” come from?

Under construction.