A Killing Field of Values
The virus isn’t just attacking our values, it’s highlighting their true nature.
This the third post in a series on the pandemic and its impact on progress and problem solving. In the last post, we looked at conspiracy theories and why their misconceptions envelope all of us.
The toll of the pandemic on our values may be the most momentous impact of all. In the world of explanations, values are top predators. But they are seriously misunderstood creatures.
Largely unexamined, they seem impervious to reality, the immutable standards by which we live our lives. But like it or not, our values are explanations. They may be stubborn. They may voraciously consume our weaker beliefs. But when brought in conflict with other values, they reveal their true explicable nature.
The pandemic pits our most cherished values in death struggles. We’ve long debated these values in isolation, like the right to life and the right to die. But in crises, these values must survive as competing explanations. Like the rare encounters…
