Unit 9: Social change & value- reboot:Cultivating Humanity

nadia dresscher

Objectives unit 9

• Reflect on what social change is and what are factors that can trigger social change (causes)

• Reflect on some major shifts at this moment (connect with unit 10)

• Exercise: make an inventory of challenges/opportunities in terms of social change

• Discuss article “Cultivating humanity” and focus on “values” in development, for the overcoming of challenges

Values and Attitudes

• If you want to understand a person’s behavior, you must understand his or her values.

Values and Attitudes

• Values are basic convictions (notions) about what is right and wrong.

Values and Attitudes

• Importance of values – Values generally influence attitudes and behavior.

• Value system is a hierarchy based on a ranking of an individual’s values in terms of one’s intensity.

Values and Attitudes

• Source of our Value Systems –A significant portion is genetically

determined.–Other factors include national culture,

parents, teachers, friends, and similar environmental influences (socialization process is core to acquiring value orientations)

Values and Attitudes

–Values are relatively stable and enduring.–If we know an individual’s values,

we are better able to predict a behavior in a particular situation.

Values

• Values differ between generations.• Values differ between regions.• Values differ between cultures.

Values

• Terminal values are the end-state we hope to achieve in life.

• Instrumental values are means of achieving these terminal values.

Attitudes

• Attitudes have three evaluative components:– Cognitive component of an attitude is the

opinion or belief segment of an attitude.– Affective component is the emotion or

feeling segment of an attitude.– Behavioral component is the intention to

behave in a certain way toward someone or something.

Attitudes

• Sources of Attitudes:–Acquired from parents, teachers, and

peer group members.– There are “genetic” predispositions.–Observations, attitudes that we imitate.

• Attitudes are less stable than values.

Cognitive Dissonance

• Cognitive dissonance is a conflict between two values or between values and behavior.

Assignment: Rokeach Values test

• What values are important to you• survey

Terminal and Instrumental Values in Rokeach Value Survey

Terminal values• A comfortable life• An exciting life• A sense of accomplishment• A world at peace• Equality• Family security• Freedom• Happiness• Inner harmony• Mature love• National security• Pleasure• Salvation• Self-respect• Social recognition• True friendship• Wisdom

Instrumental values• Ambitious• Broad-minded• Capable• Cheerful• Clean• Courageous• Forgiving• Helpful• Honest• Imaginative• Independent• Intellectual• Logical• Loving• Obedient• Polite• Responsible• Self-controlled

Exercise:

• make an inventory of challenges/opportunities in terms of social change

• 3 major challenges and opportunities

Cultivating Humanity?Education and capabilities for a global ‘great transition’

Gasper & George’s (2010) essay reflects on the following question:• What are the implications for education of the

formidable emergent global challenges of sustainability?The essay starts with the crucial message:• We need to change, we need to cultivate new values.• These are major changes in the next two generations• on the level of human values• In order to ensure politically and environmentally

sustainable societies and a sustainable global order

3 major value-shifts/paradigm

1. From consumerism and an ideology of life-fulfilment through buying to a focus instead on quality of living

2. From individualism to human solidarity, including concern for the ‘external effects’ (consequences) one imposes on others

3. From domination of nature to ecological sensitivity

(based on The great transition today, a report for the future, 2006 )

Watch the story of stuff

Answer the following question before viewing:• What do you expect from this video? Why?• What are your thoughts on human

consumption? Is it a theme you reflect on?

The Story of Stuff

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8

3 important values to work on (Des & George, 2010)

1. Quality of life2. Human solidarity3. Ecological sustainability

Statesman, philosopher, advocate, man of letters

• Cordoba• 4 BC

Seneca’s notion of “Cultivation of Humanity”:

• Inspired Martha Nussbaum and she elaborated further on this notion

• Cultivating Humanity is comparable a civilizational project

• It involves promoting and using the following capacities (next sheet)

• These capacities can help our planet move forward in a sustainable direction (Nussbaum, 1997)

3 Capacities for the “Cultivation of Humanity” (Nussbaum, 1997)

1. The narrative imagination/ empathy/ sympathic imagination: the ability to think (triggers the feeling) what it might be to be in the shoes of a person different from oneself

To become a global citizen, we need these 3 capabilities

2. The capacity for critical examination of oneself and one’s tradition“ a good reflective citizen” goes hand in hand with the capacity of empathy

3. An ability to see oneself not simply as citizens of some local region or group, but above all, as human beings bound to all other human beings by ties of recognition and concern The emerging of solidarity: the self as part of something bigger

What’s the story of your generation?

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5joE6AjPl30&NR=1

• In which values should we invest nowadays more than ever?

Philosophical questions

• Can expressing/practicing the freedom of oneself, come in the way of the freedom of others?