Dear Reader,
Meaning is an inherited process of becoming aware of how we learn to interpret value. It can be observed by an individual to flow outward through intention, into an action, and onto an outcome.
What is value?
To answer this question we must first appreciate that there are two types of value: prudential and moral.
Prudential value is that which benefits one individual at the expense of another. At the very least it must be unconsciously taken.
Moral value is that which benefits society at the expense of the individual. At the very least it must be consciously given.
How does this relate to the individual?
This process of becoming conscious of how we as individuals are balancing the pursuit of prudential value with the pursuit of moral value is known as individuation. The best way to explain this is by an example.
Q: Does an infant seek prudential value or moral value?
A: It unconsciously seeks prudential value.
And as it increases in neurobehavioural complexity through experience, it also receives extended sociocultural narratives that frame an appreciation of moral value. The moral value within these narratives exists down to the level of metaphor, an understanding of which can eventually be deployed by the individual in the face of life’s inevitable challenges.
This is how those that came before us guide us without robbing us of the necessary opportunity (and pleasure) of seemingly discovering things for ourselves. It also allows humanity to make progress in the face of change as we gently stand upon the shoulders of those who came before us.
To individuate is to have carefuly written out our own stories and mined them, right down to the level of comparative metaphor. This is how we identify structure at the level of value. We then publish what we find so that others may stand firmly upon our shoulders too.
How does this relate to society?
While stories may give us our underlying moral framework, it is not enough to allow any individual to act ethically or in accordance with any growing awareness of their underlying moral framework. This is why we see shared narratives organised into instances of sociocultural entities.
Each sociocultural entity is typically defined by a values statement that exists to provide a prudential support network that in turn serves to guard, protect, and defend its ideological subscribers from both external and internal exploitation as well as encouraging them to act in accordance with a growing awareness of their shared underlying moral framework.
What is the conclusion?
None of us is perfect and nor do we ever have to be, but only within the growing appreciation that our obligation to each other extends well beyond any narrow ideological commitments.
Faithfully yours,
Dr Sasha Kanthan
Professional Facilitator
On Foundations of Healing 🌤️
This philosophical letter is dedicated to Jordan B. Peterson ⧉, one of many who in the face of unfathomable odds, appears to radiate profound humility, charity, and self-sacrifice. The very definition of a role model. Thank you 🏆
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