In the last post, we took the first steps in exploring what “value” is, why it’s important, and how to translate it into practical ethics through the vehicle of a set of virtues. But why put so much emphasis on ethics if our goal is learn and practice rhetoric, the art of persuasion through spoken and written communication? The Link Between Values and Power What Is Power? The reason we are concerned with ethics in the context of rhetoric is because rhetoric is a tool to give us more power, and any time you use power, you run the risk of harming yourself or others, and so there is an…

What is Value Finding a Grounding for Value is Hard – But Important The first, and in some ways, most difficult step in living according to our values is to get at least somewhat clear on just what we mean by value. We talk equally comfortably about the value of a piece of jewelry as about the value of putting in a hard day’s work, or even the values you were raised with. Obviously, there’s something in common between these usages, but when you try to rigorously break it down, you might run into problems. Is the “value” of a financial asset really the same thing as the “value” of…