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Module 7

Ethics Module 7 (Universidad Tecnológica del Sur de Sonora)

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BANGSAMORO AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO

DEL SUR GOOD SHEPHERN COLLEGE, INC.
Wao, Lanao del Sur, Philippines
Contact No. +639359538691 Email Add: goodshepherd_wao@yahoo.com
“The School of Mind, Character and Personality”

MODULE 7 GE 7: ETHICS

SCHELER’S HIERARCHY OF VALUES

Learning Outcomes:

At the end of this module, the students should be able to:

1. Define feeling-states and value-modalities;

2. Discuss the four levels of value-modalities in Scheler's hierarchy; and
3. Reflect on the practicality of feeling-states and value-modalities in daily life.

In this module, students will learn Max Scheler's hierarchy of values.

Many people waste away each day not knowing what kind of modality is
their priority. With the help of Scheler's hierarchy, people may be
reminded of the more vital and valuable aspects of their life and what
should be prioritized in the course of living. It is important to understand
that the modalities which have lower values do not mean that they do not
have any value at all. Nurturing each of these feeling-statements is
essential to one's life. After this lesson, the students are expected to
ponder on the things that they really need to value in life.

MAX FERDINAND SCHELER

Max Ferdinand Scheler was a prominent German philosopher

known for his work in phenomenology, philosophical anthropology,
and ethics (Frings, 2018). He was greatly interested in the philosophy
of American pragmatism. He was born on August 22, 1874 in Munich,
Germany. He studied philosophy at the University of Jena (1846-
1926) and received a doctoral degree in 1897. He taught at Jena from
1900 to 1906. From 1907 to 1910, he taught at the University of
Munich. In 1919 he became professor of philosophy and sociology at
the University of Cologne.

Scheler who was of Jewish heritage openly denounced fascism

and National Socialism which prompted the Nazis to suppress the
spread of his work from 1933 to 1945. He traveled to many countries such as India, China, Japan,
Russia, and the United States to talk about his academic work but his health became an obstacle
for accepting many other speaking engagements. Scheler died on May 19, 1928 due to
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complications of a severe heart attack. After his death, Martin Heidegger and Jose Ortega y
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Gasset said that all philosophers were indebted to the seriousness and significance of Scheler's

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works. Scheler was known as "the strongest philosophical force in modern Germany and "the first
man of the philosophical paradise."

FEELING-STATES AND VALUE-MODALITIES

In The Nature of Sympathy and Formalism in Ethics and Non-Formal Ethics of Value,
Scheler talks about love, human feelings, and the nature of the person (Davis & Steinbock,
2018). He contends that reason, consciousness, and ego are characteristics of a human being
and the pure form of these characteristics cannot be found outside of humans. Knowing a human
being as an essentially loving creature, Scheler states the existence of a human being is due to
his or her heart and not his or her ego, will, or reason. He considers love as the center of all
emotions and goes on to argue that love and feelings have their own type of logic that is
different from the logic of reason. The reality of value precedes knowing. Values can be felt and
organized by means of the hierarchy of the power of reason after they are experienced.

Considering emotions as inconsistent and insincere at times, Scheler researched on the

concept of value deceptions as seen in his works Ordo Amoris, The ldols of Self-Knowledge,
Repentance and Re-Birth, and Ressentiment. He based his ethics on "pre-rational refereeing" the
persons first reaction towards a specific value. When a person prioritizes a value of lower rank to
a value of higher rank or disvalues a value, a "disorder of heart" Occurs. He asserted as well that
values can be better advanced through aristocracy than a democracy.

From this interest of his, he formulated his theory of value –an enumeration of the four
levels of value-modalities and the feeling-states that are incorporated therein. Feeling-states
refer to specific values or elements that one may give importance to. It may be pleasure,
strength, joy, or holiness. Upon knowing what is really valuable for one, his or her value-modality,
or level of hierarchy of value, is determined.

SCHELER'S HIERARCHY OF VALUES

Scheler's ethics is centered on his theory of value (Dunlop, 2013). In his two major works,
The Nature of Sympathy and Formalism in Ethics and Non-Formal Ethics of Value , he pointed out
that moral values of good and evil are solely related to persons, not objects. The variety of
values can be experienced in different orders based on love. Acknowledging these values as
objective and unchanging, Scheler divided these value-modalities in a hierarchy of levels:

1. Sensory Value-Modality
The feeling-states incorporated in this value-modality are of the lowest level of value.
These values range from agreeable to disagreeable. People who conform to these values
primarily consider whether something leads to pleasure or pain. They agree on what gives them
pleasure and disagree on what gives them pain. Hence, this feeling-state relates to hedonistic
and utilitarian values. Pleasure-seekers hold this particular value-modality.

In this value-modality, Scheler examines the endurance of values in a specific timeframe

and asserts that the lifetime of values can be easily imparted. For instance, Scheler explains: "If I
affirm my love for someone, I do not qualify my testament by saying I love you now' or otherwise
indicate that this love is momentary. Rather, the notion of duration is conveyed in the affirmation
itself. And if I find at some point that this love is gone, I must conclude that I misunderstood and
misstated my original sentiment, that I never really loved this person." In other words, Scheler
illustrates that a person is naturally bound to values that are persistent and do not fade away as
time passes by.
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2. Vital Value-Modality

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All modes of feelings in life are included in this level. These values are higher than the
values of pleasure. This value-modality pertains to the recognition of health and sickness,
strength and weakness, and excellence and flaw. Emotional reactions are also included in this
category such as "being happy about something" or "being annoyed at something." It is
important to mention that the specific character of this modality relates life to a genuine essence
and not an empirical generic conception. Those who conform to this value are already aware of
the vital value of this modality. A hero embodies this feeling-state. It means that a hero
possesses higher values than a pleasure-seeker.

3. Spiritual Value-Modality
The feeling-states relative to this value-modality are connected to spiritual feelings, more
specifically, love and hatred, beauty and ugliness, joy and sorrow, delight and disgust, and
reverence and contempt. They may also include feelings of pleasure and displeasure, approval
and disapproval, and respect and disrespect.

Scheler says that the higher the value, the less dependent it is to the other values of the
same level of worth. In other words, if a specific value is universal enough, it is not limited to the
other elements. A higher value is an end value solely by its own, not a means to other values.
Spiritual joy and sorrow are the primary values that are correlated to this feeling-state.

The three main types of spiritual values are:

a. values of "beauty' and "ugliness," including the whole span of purely aesthetic
values;
b. values of "right" and "wrong:" and
c. values of the "pure cognition of truth."
Those who possess these values are considered geniuses (artistic, moral, and
philosophical).

4. Value of Holiness Modality

This level includes the highest type of values that appear only on objects given
intentionally as "absolute objects." By absolute objects, Scheler means every object in the
"absolute sphere Thus, the values connected to these values are those things from sacraments,
cults, and other forms of worship. In this modality, the feelings range from "blissfulness" to
"despair," which are not dependent on "happiness" or "unhappiness." The type of persons in this
criterion includes the saints.

After clarifying these criteria, Scheler divides these values into two levels. On the higher
level of this hierarchy, he locates the modality of life such as health, disease, and so on. On the
lower level of this list, he places sensible values such as pleasure, enjoyment, pain, and
suffering. It means that Scheler gives more value to life and he claims that life is more than the
combination of joy and sadness. He also maintains that the lower values such as pleasures and
sufferings are only derivatives.

Value of Holiness
Modality

Spiritual Value-
Modality

Vital Value-Modality
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Sensory Value-
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Modality

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Key Points

 According to Scheler, moral values of good and evil are solely related to persons, not
objects. The variety of values can be experienced in different orders based on love.
Nonetheless, Scheler explained that love and feelings have their own type of logic which is
different from the logic of reason. From this, he formulated his theory of value, wherein he
enumerated four levels of value-modalities and the feeling-states that are incorporated
therein.
 Feeling-states refer to specific values or elements that one may give importance to. It may
be pleasure, strength, joy, or holiness. Upon knowing what is really valuable for one, his or
her value-modality, or level of hierarchy of value, is determined.
Scheler's hierarchy of value-modalities are: sensory value-modality,
vital value-modality, spiritual value-modality, and value of holiness modality.

Prepared by:

MERLINDO PAREÑO GALICIA, JR.

Philosophy Instructor

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BANGSAMORO AUTONOMOUS REGION IN MUSLIM MINDANAO

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DEL SUR GOOD SHEPHERN COLLEGE, INC.

Wao, Lanao del Sur, Philippines
Contact No. +639359538691 Email Add: goodshepherd_wao@yahoo.com
“The School of Mind, Character and Personality”

STUDENTS ACTIVITY SHEET

Name: __________________________________________________________ Course and Year:

_______________

ASSESSMENT/
MIND

IDENTIFICATION.

_________________________ 1. The center of Scheler's ethics.

_________________________ 2. The lowest type of values that are objects of sensory feelings, and
their
corresponding subjective states includes pleasure and pain.

_________________________ 3. The highest type of values that appear only on objects given
intentionally as absolute objects.

_________________________ 4. All modes of feelings in life are included in this level.

_________________________ 5. It refers to values connected to the general well- being.

_________________________ 6. Scheler considers this idea/concept as the center of all emotions.

_________________________ 7. Scheler said the existence of a human being is due to this body
organ
and not his or her ego, will, or reason.
_________________________ 8. Pleasure-seekers are found in this level

_________________________ 9. Saints are found in this level.

_________________________10. The feeling-states that belong to this value- modality are connected
to
spiritual feelings.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS.

1. What is the difference between feeling-state and value-modality? Explain the correlation of
the two.
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2. What is the significance of Scheler's theory of values?

APPLICATION/
PERSONALITY

Enumerate the four value-modalities (hierarchy of values) of Scheler and provide a practical
example showing the manifestation of each reality.

1.

2.

3.
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4.
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REFLECTION/
CHARACTER

Reflect on the feeling-state and value-modality in which you belong at this point in
your life. What changes are you willing to make? Why?

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