How To Discover Your Core Values

Discover Your Core Values So That You Can Actually Decide What To Do, Figure Out Who You Are, And Live Authentically

No matter how much someone knows about something, their life will never actually change unless they take action.

But in order to act you need values.

Values are what guide our actions and shape how we see the world.

When we choose to do one thing or another, we choose on the basis of our values.

Values allow us to judge whether an action is good, bad, or neutral.

But how do we get values? Where do they come from?

Not everyone, or everything, is capable of having values.

In order to have values, you need to be capable of valuing things.

Valuing require the ability to judge certain things in the world as desirable/undesirable, or good/bad.

Aristotle thought that this is why animals cannot be said to act voluntarily.

Even though animals are capable of acting in a basic way, their actions are determined by their instincts, desires, and perceptions.

They do not choose to act voluntarily.

What an animal perceives as good or desirable is the result of biological programming, not voluntary choice. Even though animals "see" what is good for them, they are not capable of choosing or deciding what is good for them in the same way that human beings are.

If you cannot act voluntarily, you cannot value things.

Valuing is an activity that is freely chosen.

Unlike animals, human beings have the ability to act on the basis of values and reason.

Therefore, only human beings are capable of acting voluntarily.

It is because of our capacity to reason and deliberate about what to do that we are able to act voluntarily.

It is because of our capacity to reason and deliberate that we are able to make choices on the basis of our value judgments, rather than instinct.

But this is not guaranteed, even for us.

We have to earn it.

A human being that does not understand their own values, and lives their entire life based on judgments that were "programmed" by society, is not much different than an animal pursuing what it views as good because of its instincts.

There is no amount of knowledge, or learning, or information that, by itself, can make you exercise your capacity for judgment.

Information can inform our choices, but it cannot make them for us.

In the end, the most human activity that we can engage in is the activity of reasoning about what to do and acting accordingly.

If you want to be able to do this well, or do it at all, then you need to understand what is valuable.

You need to decide upon your values.

In the last several newsletters, I provided guidance and steps for getting started building version 1.0 of your micro-philosophy.

My advice was focused on helping you better understand what I called your atomic beliefs, which consist of core and fringe beliefs.

But this week, we are going to go further.

We are going to begin crafting the values that will allow you to turn those core beliefs into actionable principles that can guide your choices and, ultimately, your life.

Figuring out what you believe, although a great first step, can only get you so far.

If you want to be able to use that knowledge to take control of your life and change how you live, then you need to also understand how your values and beliefs are related.

That will be the focus on the next two newsletters.

Let's get started.

What Are Values?

Everyone on social media talks about "value", but what does it actually mean?

The concept of value is actually one of the oldest concepts studied in the history of human thought.

Since the beginning of civilization, human beings have had to decide what to do and why.

Values are what guided those choices.

In general, the concept of value refers to the level of importance that something has.

When someone "values" something, or has a "value", what is meant is that someone has a personal belief that certain things are important, unimportant, good, bad, etc.

It is a deep question in philosophy whether anything has value independently of whether people value it.

Usually when people talk about social media content as having value, what they mean is that people find it valuable to their lives. It wouldn't really make sense for a post on X to have value if no one saw it.

But, it is also reasonable to think that certain things are valuable independently of what people think. For example, is it really true that the valuable beauty of the Mona Lisa would disappear if no one knew about it? It is totally reasonable to think that the painting is valuable because of its features and characteristics, whether or not anyone cares about it.

This is the difference between what is called "objective value" and "subjective value".

In the context of a micro-philosophy, when we talk about finding and crafting your values, we are talking about finding out your beliefs about which things are valuable and which things are not valuable.

In other words, your personal values are beliefs about what has value and why. For example, many people take themselves to value justice.

To say that you value Justice is to say that you think it is good when people get what they deserve, and bad when they don't. This means that certain kinds of actions and behaviors are judged to be valuable by you, and others are not.

Who determines which actions and behaviors are actually valuable?

That is one of the deepest questions in an area of philosophy called metaethics which, unfortunately, we cannot get into here.

(If you are interested in that question and what to talk more about it, feel free to message me your thoughts)

So, values are your personal beliefs about what is and is not valuable.

There are hundreds of possible values that you can hold.

By the end of today's newsletter, you will become acquainted with a significant number of possible values you can live by.

But before we get there, it is important to think about two questions:

1) How do you actually know what you value?

2) And what does it mean to value something?

Valuing

To hold a value means that you meet the following 3 conditions:

Condition #1: You endorse it.

Condition #2: You use it to justifying actions.

Condition #3: You act in accordance with it.

Let’s go through each condition in order.

Endorsement

To endorse a value means much more than just liking or agreeing with it. If you were to ask someone about almost any value, there is a high chance that they will like or approve of it. Who doesn't like justice, honesty, and courage?

Getting people to approve of a value is not hard.

Getting people to act in alignment with their values, and to understand what it means to hold a value is much more difficult.

Part of the reason is that endorsing a value requires recognizing what some call its "normative force".

To recognize the normative force of a value is to internally accept that it should guide your decisions and actions. It is to accept it as a standard against which you measure yourself and others. It is a rational and reflective commitment to treating the value as a reason for action.

For example, a lot of people would say that they value honesty, and that they want to be honest, but approving of honesty does not mean that you endorse honesty. Endorsing honesty requires recognizing from the first personal point of view that being honest is something you should do and take seriously in deciding how you should act. This is a very different relationship to the value of honesty than mere approval.

When a politician endorses a candidate, this is not the same as them just saying that they like them. It is them making it publicly known that they will act to support them, and that they take the candidate to represent something important about their values.

Endorsement, then, must be stronger than a preference, feeling, or inclination.

Endorsing a value means that you take it as part of your self-conception.

You identify with it.

This is why people say things like "I am an honest person", or "As a Christian …".

Values are a significant part of what our deep self, or practical identity is constituted by.

If you didn't value anything, you would have no personality or discernible self.

Sometimes we desire things that do not align with our values and act because of our desires or feelings that pull us towards what we want.

When we act in accordance with a value we endorse, we choose something even if it doesn't align with our desires or feelings.

The force of what we immediately want or crave is overridden by the force of our commitment to a certain value or set of values.

This isn't a guarantee that you will always act in alignment with your values.

Sometimes our desires are too strong, or we aren't thinking clearly.

But if you truly take yourself to endorse a value, then you need to reliably act in a way that aligns with it, regardless of how you feel.

For example, a person who endorses honesty doesn't just tell the truth when it is convenient — they do so when it is hard.

If you only act when it is convenient for you, you may not actually hold the value, but just desire the social rewards of being recognized as someone who truly values something.

Endorsement does not have to be perfect, but it does have to be reliable and stable.

Justification

Someone can be also said to hold a value only if they use it to justify their actions in situations where it applies.

To use a value to justify your actions is to use it to provide a rational defense or explanation of why you should choose certain things over others. The value serves as a rational basis for your decision making. You see the value and your understanding of the value as providing you with a legitimate answer if you were questioned about your choices.

For example, someone might ask you "Why didn't you hurt this person who wronged you?", and you might respond "Because revenge in this case would be unjust".

The value of justice in this example provides a reason for not retaliating against someone.

Using values to justify our behavior is another thing that separates people who actually hold a value from people who merely approve of, or have a preference for acting in certain ways.

You might act properly because it is a habit you have adopted, or because it is convenient, or because you are afraid of being punished.

If the reason you are acting has nothing to do with the value, then you are not using the value to justify your actions.

An animal may do something over and over again by habit, but that doesn't mean it is choosing and justifying its choices based on a value.

Values provide reasons for action, not just motivations.

A motivation is a psychological impulse or desire. It is how you feel. You can't always explain why you feel the way you do, you just do.

A justification, meanwhile, provides a reason that makes it clear why something is correct. It is open to scrutiny and can be defended through conversation.

For example, to use honesty to justify your actions is to say something like "I am doing this because I value friendship, and friendship explains why it is correct to act this way". This is different than saying "I am doing this because being friendship just feels right to me".

Justifications are open to scrutiny and evaluation by others. Feelings are not.

To justify your choices on the basis of your values is to provide a defense of a certain course of action and open yourself to evaluation by others.

Action

Someone can only be said to truly hold a value if their actions align with it.

To truly hold a value also means that you reliably act in accordance with it. Earlier I said that holding a value is more than just feeling a certain way. It is also more than just thinking a certain way. Holding a value is not a purely intellectual achievement. It is also something that requires action.

Anyone can tell themselves that they are committed to someone or something, but what do their actions show?

Again, no one can act perfectly in alignment with their true self, or their ideal self.

That is not a reasonable standard.

But, if someone wants to be able to truly claim that they hold a value, or are a certain kind of person, it matters how reliable they are.

To claim to be something you are not is inauthentic and false.

For example, if you take yourself to value kindness, but you only act kindly towards people who like, or who give you favors, then either:

A) You have a very unusual idea of what kindness is.

or

B) You don't actually understand what kindness requires.

Even if someone believes that values are subjective, there are still standards by which they hold themselves and others.

Someone who claims to value something and doesn't act in accordance with it is either confused or self-deceived.

Someone who acts in alignment with their values, words, and internal beliefs, even when it is difficult, inconvenient, or unrewarding, can be said to have integrity (which is itself a value).

How we act defines who we are just as much as how we act.

Valuing is an activity that lies at the intersection of what we do and what we think about what we do.

It is a fundamental feature of our humanity.

Values and Micro-Philosophy

What role do values play in a micro-philosophy?

Values play a key role in any micro-philosophy because they serve as a bridge between atomic beliefs and actions.

A micro-philosophy is a concise, coherent, and personalized framework of beliefs, values, and principles that guides an individual’s understanding of the world, their approach to life, and their specific actions.

A micro-philosophy combines 4 key elements into a unified system that gives clarity and purpose to our lives.

The 4 elements of a micro-philosophy are:

• Atomic Beliefs: Core convictions about the world.

• Values: Guiding ideals derived from core beliefs.

• Principles: How values translate into specific guidelines.

• Actions: The real-world manifestation of principles.

Values are derived from atomic beliefs.

Atomic beliefs are the core beliefs that someone has about the world, the mind, nature, the self, morality, and so on.

Atomic beliefs can themselves be divided into four general categories:

• Metaphysics

• Epistemology

• Axiology

• Ethics

A significant number of atomic beliefs in any micro-philosophy will be about metaphysics (what the world is like) and epistemology (how we know what the world is like). But just as many, if not more, will be about axiology and ethics.

It is from these two categories that values will be derived.

The branch of philosophy known as Axiology just is the study of value.

Axiology concerns questions about what is good, worthwhile, or beautiful. It is also concerned with the nature of value itself.

Here are some common questions of Axiology:

What does it mean for something to have value? Is value objective or subjective? How do we determine what is valuable? Is there a hierarchy of values? What makes something beautiful? What makes something good? How do we resolve conflicts between values? Can we measure values?

A core belief might be that "what makes something valuable is its usefulness". Someone who believes this is said to have an axiological belief.

Values can also be derived from beliefs about ethics.

Ethics is the branch of philosophy focused on morality and the good life.

Here are some common questions in Ethics:

How should one live? What is right and wrong? Is morality objective or subjective? Is morality relative or absolute? How do we resolve moral conflicts? What is the best human life? Is pleasure good regardless of its source? What do we owe to other people? Are there any objective moral duties?

To derive a value from an ethical belief in the micro-philosophy system very often requires working backwards from a specific action or moral principle.

For example, someone might report their co-worker to human resources because of something they said that is inappropriate. This action may be grounded in a moral principle such as "always speak up when you see something wrong". Finally, that moral principle may be justified and grounded in one or several values, such as justice, honesty, integrity, courage, etc.

When you hold a value, you don’t just feel attached to it—you see it as a legitimate reason that can justify your actions, decisions, and worldview.

Holding to values is a way of either being your full self, or moving closer to who you ideally want to be.

Building and improving your own micro-philosophy is an excellent way to both clarify which values you hold and understand how they relate to one another.

Having these things clearly in mind helps focus your thoughts and actions towards your ultimate goals in life, making them much more attainable.

Assignment: Create A Shortlist Of Values

This week's assignment can be completed in 20 minutes, but it might just change your life.

Not a bad trade.

By the end of the assignment, you will have a list of core 10 values that represent who you take yourself to be in general.

Step One: Review the list of 100 values

This step is very straightforward.

Review the list of 100 human values provided below.

It is not meant to be exhaustive, but it is more than enough to get started.

As you read, think about which values resonate with you most strongly and what each value means to you.

Here are 3 Tips to make this exercise more impactful:

Tip #1: As you read through the list, highlight and bold any values that resonate strongly with you.

Tip #2: If you find yourself resonating with every value, think more about which values are most important to you.

Tip #3: Connecting each value with a person or personal experience you associate with it can help certain values stand out from others.

You can access the list of 100 human values and a free Value Builder Template by signing up for Kortex through my affiliate link (it's free) here:

1) Sign Up Here

And then follow this link to the template:

2) Value Builder Template

You can also access the list of 100 human values by opening the following Google doc here: Here

Step Two: Create a shortlist of 10 values

Now that you have read through and thought about 100 human values, review the list and choose 10 of those values that you feel most strongly connected to, or that explain/justify a significant amount of your daily actions and thoughts.

Write them in a numbered list.

Step Three: Turn those values into core beliefs

Now that you have identified 10 core values, it is time to integrate them into your micro-philosophy.

I am going to explain to you how to transform 10 core values into 10 core beliefs, and add them to your core belief list.

Please keep in mind that this is an ongoing process, and this is just to help you get started.

For each value on your list of 10 core values, write a positive belief statement and define the value contained in the statement.

This exercise will help you clarify and deepen your understanding of your 10 core values.

To get you started, here is an example belief:

✅ Positive Belief (Proton): I believe that all human beings are equal.

#️⃣ Definition (Neutrons): Equality is everyone being treated with the same level of respect.

Now it's your turn. Write 10 core beliefs that are derived from your values.

Conclusion!

You now have a list of 10 core beliefs that represent your 10 core values.

This is a huge step towards deepening and expanding your micro-philosophy, and making it livable.

In future lessons, we will go deeper into analyzing and developing your values in conjunction with complex philosophical ideas.

Eventually, you will have a complete micro-philosophy consisting of atomic beliefs, values, principles, and actions that provide a framework by which you can live.

I hope this was helpful.

-Paul