Q&A: Values
Values
Question
Hello,
I wanted to ask about the concept of “evil.”
It seems to me that just as the value “good” cannot be rationalized, so too “evil”; it feels strange to say, “I understand that x is evil, but why not do x?”
It is not clear to me whether evil is a value as well (that is, whether the concept of value itself is morally neutral), or whether the concept of value applies only to positive concepts. a0
Or in other words, when I choose my values (do we choose values?), do I need to make sure that they stand under the umbrella of the value “good,” as a kind of umbrella over all my values?
Answer
I’m not sure I understood the question(s). Is an evil value also a value? I use the term that way. But that’s just a semantic question and not an important one.
As for good as an umbrella, I addressed this in my series of lectures on ethics and Jewish law. To justify constructing a hierarchy of values, you have to arrive at the conclusion that there is a common scale for all values (otherwise you can’t rank them against one another), and I explained that the scale is the degree of good found in each of them.