Tratamiento estadístico de la información

In the theoretical part of the master thesis the definition of the concept of TD moves from the “exclusion of values” to the “inclusion of values”. In the literature, related to TD foundation, there was nowhere clearly expressed what kind of values were meant to be excluded or included. By the basic research, which integrates the concept of human value in the concept of TD, the ambiguity is somehow solved.

3.4.1 Values Clarification

A number of definitions and conceptions of values can be found in the literature. Here there are mentioned three more or less broadly accepted definitions. Clyde Kluckhohn (1951) defines values as concepts of the desirable, which influence how people decide on actions and how they evaluate events (Musek, 1993b). Another English definition (Musek, 1993c) is that “the values are abstract, often implicit conceptions, which define to the individual the goals or means for attaining the goals he considers as desirable”. Musek16 (1986) defines: “Values could be understood as motives or motivational goals on a very high level of generality. They could be conceived as general and relatively consistent ideations of goals and events, which we highly estimate. […] One can view them as the most general motivational goals”.

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Janek Musek (June 3, 1945) – Professor of general psychology at Faculty of arts (Department of psychology), University of Ljubljana.

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Figure 8: Values as a source of beliefs, views, and human behavior

Beliefs Views Behavior

Values

Source: J. Musek, The new psychological theory of values, 2000.

All three definitions of values share a common opinion that values are a prior origin for beliefs, views and eventually for behavior and human action (see Figure 8).

The answer to the ambiguity expressed at the beginning of this chapter can be found in publications of Janek Musek. He has classified values into a number of categories, occupying different levels in the hierarchical structure of human goals (Musek, 1994).

Figure 9: The four-level hierarchy of values

HEDONISTIC values Values of a POWER MORAL values APOLLONIAN values DIONYSIAN values REDUCTIONISM Excluded middle logic HOLISM Logic of included middle

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According to Musek’s hierarchical structure of values there are only two very large categories (macrocategories) of values, i.e., Dionysian and Apollonian macrocategories (see Table 2). Both levels further splits into additional two levels or subcategories, which could be called value types. Dionysian values consist of two types of groups, namely hedonistic values and values of a power. Hedonistic values contain values related to sensual and material pleasures, while values of a power involve values related to achievement, success, reputation, and also patriotism. Further, at the next level, each of the value types could be again divided into another values category. Hedonistic type separates into sensual, health and safety categories, the values of power into social status and patriotism categories. Finally, at the most specific level of the hierarchy there are various single values, which can be derived from the middle-range categories of values (Musek, 1994).

Table 2: J. Musek’s scheme of value

Macrocategories DIONYSIAN values APOLLONIAN values

Type of values HEDONISTIC

values VALUES of a power MORAL values FULFILMENT values

Values in the middle range category sensuality health safety social position patriotism legislation traditionalism family societal values culture aesthetics actualization cognition Specific values entertainment comfort sexuality security enjoyment … reputation money success native country laws … honesty goodness love (peace) partner equality … creativeness beauty self-realization knowledge wisdom … Source: J. Musek, The new psychological theory of values, 2000.

Apollonian values are similarly divided into two value types. The first group – Moral values consists of traditional and societal values. The second group – Fulfillment values gather values related to personal, cultural, and spiritual growth. Again at the next level, each of the value types could be further divided into the middle-range categories of values. The moral type consists of traditional, democratic (or societal) and social values, while the Fulfillment values involve the cognitive, cultural, self-actualizing and spiritual values. At the specific level of hierarchy, the moral type consists of values such as honesty, love, equity, etc., while fulfillment values include values such as creativeness, knowledge, beauty, self-realization and so on (Musek, 1993a).

To return to the beginning of this chapter, the uncertainty about the dilemma of which values are considered in the concept of TD, it can be argued that these are values related predominantly to Apollonian values. But, due to the TD principle of non-contradiction, values related to Dionysian group are not being excluded. The latter values can be attributed to the TD Object, but Apollonian values can be assigned to the TD Subject.

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Apollonian values correspond to the holistic approaches, whereas Dionysian values correspond to the reductionistic attitudes. Only when a human perception is holistic the morality and ethics could be considered. An individual with Apollonian values is centered on a community as a whole and not only on himself/herself, as in a case of Dionysian values.

All the values (no value reductionism) together may be favorable to SD, but only in a balanced context. When for example Apollonian values predominate over Dionysian values, consequently the TD Object is put aside and vice versa. Another example is when Dionysian values prevail over Apollonian values; in this case another unsustainable condition is established where consequently significant contradictions or even conflicts (see also Appendix 6) are not excluded. Such a situation is present in today’s socio-economic system where Apollonian values are neglected and seem to be ridiculous. But consequently such ignorance contributes to majority of global crisis.

Capitalism replaces Apollonian values (TD Subject) with Dionysian values (TD Object) or even equalizes them, but can Apollonian values be bought? The human values of capitalism are only consumables, and that we can produce new, we must destroy the old ones (Žižek, 2009).

One can express concerns about how to change human values which would eventually modify his/her behavior towards sustainable consequences. Changing values is related to changing levels of perception; but not to changing values itself. Therefore, the values are what they are and they cannot be changed (they can be only gained), they are invariant, similarly as it is explained in the case of levels of perception (see Chapter 3.1). They can be only understood as a consequence of different states of consciousness. Human can only change behavior by encouraging altered states of consciousness and accordingly accept different types of values. In relation to the concept of TD, the change in level of perception results in the change of fundamental concepts (like, for example, causality) and eventually results in change of level of Reality.