Max Scheler’s Hierarchy of

Values
To resolve moral dilemmas we often consult our values for guidance.
This is the hierarchy of values as explained by Max Scheler, a prominent
German philosopher.
Max Scheler’s Values
• Here are some Assumptions of Max Scheler on values:

• Some values are more valuable than the others.

• Values are objective; they come from society
• We are expected to sacrifice a lower value for a higher
value
Here are the values of Scheler’s hierarchy
HOLY @ UNHOLY (God)
SPIRITUAL(Moral)
VITAL (LIFE/SUCCESS)
SENSORY (PLEASURE)
SENSORY: the lowest value
• Values that cater to the senses, satisfy one’s
yearning for comfort and pleasure
• Pleasurable or unpleasurable?
• Examples: Our desire to eat delicious food, join
parties, stay in air-conditioned rooms …
• But being the lowest form of values, we are
expected to sacrifice them when confronted with
a higher value
Vital
• Values that pertain to:
• life or death? Health or sickness?
• Success or failure?
• Examples: when we stop eating sweet foods because
we have diabetes, focus on our needs instead of
wants, review in order to pass our exams, etc.
• We sacrifice pleasure for them, but these values may
be sacrificed when confronted with a higher value
 Spiritual:
• Values that pertain to:
• Moral or immoral? Ethical or unethical? Justice or injustice?
• It is the pursuit of: Common good, freedom, pursuit of
human dignity, honesty, loyalty, friendship, love
• This is manifested by heroes who sacrifice their lives for their
country, by honest men who return the money they found
even if they need it badly, by students who resist the
temptation to cheat, by politicians who govern according to
the principles of good governance, etc
Holy and unholy: the highest value
• Values that pertain to:
• Belief or unbelief?
• God or other?
• For Scheler, man must be willing to sacrifice
everything for the sake of God. For instance, in
the Bible, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his
son Isaac just to please God.
Activity 2:Examination of non-moral standards
- Research and /or comment
- The Taliban and the ISIS are two fundamentalist groups of Islam. What practices
do they espouse which can be regarded as unethical or a violation of human
dignity?
- In the Philippines, the Catholic Church or Catholic religion has been very
powerful in lobbying against the legalization of divorce, same-sex marriage, and
even the implementation of the reproductive health law. this church
intervention good or bad for the Philippine society? Explain.
- Why is the Inquisition regarded as a dark age in the history of the world?
- One Philippine cultural practice is “the father works; the mother stays at home
and care for the children”. Is this fair? Why?
Activity 2
• submission: day before next meeting
• In word document or pdf; cite references or sources
• Filename contains name, course, subject, activity
number
• Example: John E. Cabullo BSN1 Ethics Activity 2
• Send to jcabullo@spup.edu.ph