human values
What people cherish
Human values are the principles, standards, and beliefs that guide how people think they should live and treat others.
These include abstract ideals like honesty, fairness, compassion, and freedom, as well as priorities about what matters most—family, achievement, security, self-expression.
Values vary across cultures and individuals but share a claim to importance beyond mere preference: Her values wouldn't let her stay silent.
In philosophy and AI research, human values names the challenge of specifying what people actually want and care about.
- golden ruleFundamental operating principle
- accountabilityObligation for one's actions
- compassionConcern for others' distress
- dignityInnate personal worth
- cooperationJoint action toward shared aims
common good · diversity · ambition · solidarity · integrity · do the right thing · peace · heart · authenticity · inner strength · civility · equality · justice · fairness · inclusion · truth · perseverance · ubuntu
- ethicsmorality, deontology, dignity, sanctity of life, utilitarianism
- AI ethicsalgorithmic bias, robot rights, AI rights, moral agency, explainability
- moral psychologymoral reasoning, moral judgment, moral development, moral intuition, conscience
- humanistic psychologyAbraham Maslow, self-actualization, hierarchy of needs, congruence, genuineness
human valuesanimal instincts
Innate behavioral impulses
base instincts · reflexes · survival instincts · instincts · conditioned responses
human valuesnihilism
Rejection of objective meaning
amorality · valuelessness · social Darwinism · moral relativism · expediency
human, humans, humane, humanely, inhumane, inhumanely, humanity, humanities, humanist