Q&A: Secular Values
Secular Values
Question
Hello to Rabbi Michael Abraham, may he live long and well.
For some time now I’ve been wondering whether there is religious significance to external values such as art, nationalism, and the like. True, apparently in our generation people don’t talk much about “sifting out the sparks,” according to the view that everything is divided into good and bad depending on how it is used. But what about art for art’s sake, for example, and not in the name of some other value? The Sages say that proper conduct has value—do secular values fall under that?
Answer
What is the difference between external values and morality? Whatever you think is worthy is binding on you. Why do I need a verse? Reason itself says so.
Of course, not every item on your list here is a value. Nationalism, in my view, is not a value but a fact. Still, regarding action on behalf of the nation, one can discuss whether that is a value-driven act (that is, as distinct from acting on behalf of other people in general).
Art too is not a value in the ethical sense. Perhaps it is an aesthetic-human value (see Column 154). It seems to me that this is indeed a pursuit with importance for the development of one’s personality, similar to studying philosophy.