Values and Ideals – The Cultural Building Blocks of Ethical Codes

Each culture places value and importance on certain qualities and characteristics. Cultures pass these values, such as empathy or work ethic, down from generation to generation and they are inscribed in the institutions of that culture. For instance, we can see the Mormon religion’s value of faithfulness to the church in its process of tithing, or expecting its members to donate one-tenth of their annual salary.

Cultures also hold certain ideals, or expectations for an ideal type of person. Sometimes these ideals are specific to a type of person – an ideal mother, for instance, is thought of as warm, supportive, and nurturing. Sometimes these ideals are more general: An ideal American citizen is always loyal to the country, making thoughtful, informed decisions on its governance. Often unattainable, ideals set a standard for people to strive toward.

A society’s values and ideals inform the principles, or directives on how a person should act or behave, that the society operates under. These principles, often informal and unwritten, dictate appropriate behavior by members of the society. One classic example, the Golden Rule (“do unto others as you would have them do unto you”) advises people to treat others in the way that they would want to be treated. This principle, or advice to a person on how to act, is based upon virtues such as kindness and fairness and ideals such as universal respect and equality.