Human Values and Professional Ethics: A Comprehensive Study

Posted on May 14, 2026 in Philosophy and ethics

1(a) Human Values and Two Basic Aspirations

• Human Values: Universally desirable feelings and goals that ensure mutual happiness and prosperity (e.g., trust, respect, love, justice).
• Two Basic Aspirations: (i) Continuous Happiness and (ii) Continuous Prosperity (the feeling of having more than the required physical facilities).

1(b) Belief vs. Understanding

• Belief: Assuming something to be true based on an external source without self-verification. It is liable to change.
• Understanding: Self-verified knowledge through natural acceptance and experiential validation. It is stable and consistent in every human.

1(c) Three Continuous Activities of the Self

1. Desire: Image or goal-setting in chitta.
2. Thought: Analyzing how to achieve the goal in vritti.
3. Expectation/Selection: Deciding what to do in mann.

1(d) Consciousness Unit vs. Material Unit

1(e) Consequences of “Human Being = Body”

1. Focus shifts solely to physical facilities; needs of the Self are ignored, leading to inner imbalance.
2. Relationships are reduced to means of physical comfort or exploitation, causing social discord.

1(f) Complete Value and Justice

• Complete Value: Mutual recognition and fulfillment of nine feelings: trust, respect, affection, care, guidance, reverence, glory, gratitude, and love.
• Justice: Recognition of values, fulfillment, and right evaluation, leading to mutual happiness.

1(g) Four Orders in Nature

• Orders: Material, Pranic (Plant), Animal, and Human (Knowledge) Order.
• Animal Order: Characteristic is Bal (strength). Activities include composition, decomposition, growth, and will.

1(h) Submergence in Co-existence

• Every unit exists submerged in all-pervading, transparent Space (Shunya).
• Space is the eternal, no-activity reality that energizes units.

1(i) Guidelines of Professional Ethics

• Holistic understanding of human values and professional skill.
• Right utilization of technology and production systems.
• Eco-friendly and people-friendly production processes.
• Mutually fulfilling behavior in society.
• Conformance to the comprehensive human goal.

1(j) Four Components for Humanistic Tradition

1. Education–Sanskar (Right understanding).
2. Health–Self-regulation (Sanyam–Swasthya).
3. Justice–Preservation (Nyaya–Suraksha).
4. Production–Work (Utpadan–Karya).

2(a) Physical Facilities: Humans vs. Animals

• Animals: Physical facilities are complete; they function within an instinctive program.
• Humans: Physical facilities are necessary but not complete. Real living requires harmony in the Self plus adequate physical facilities.

2(b) Self as Seer, Doer, and Enjoyer

• Seer (Drashta): The Self perceives and recognizes meaning.
• Doer (Karta): The Self decides actions.
• Enjoyer (Bhokta): The Self experiences pleasure or pain.
• Body as Instrument: The body is a tool for the Self to interact with the world.

2(c) Happiness vs. Excitement

2(d) Recyclability in Nature

• Nature is cyclic (e.g., water cycle, plant-animal interaction).
• Humanity currently follows a linear “take-make-dispose” model, causing pollution.
• Institute Programs: Campus sustainability and value-based curriculum.

2(e) Holistic Technology

• Technology that fulfills human goals without harming nature.
• Characteristics: Renewable, energy-efficient, affordable, and decentralized.

3(a) Happiness and Excitement

• Happiness is a state of harmony with natural acceptance.
• Excitement is a momentary thrill from sensations; seeking it as a substitute for happiness leads to misery.

3(b) Self-Exploration

• Means: Natural Acceptance and Experiential Validation.
• Importance: Helps engineers separate facts from beliefs and align careers with universal goals.

4(a) Tabulating Desires

• Approximately 60–70% of desires are body-related, while 30–40% are Self-related.
• Realignment toward the needs of the Self leads to lasting happiness.

4(b) Sensations and Misery

• Sensations are limited by the body’s capacity.
• Repetition leads to tolerance and addiction.
• Lasting happiness arises from harmony in the Self.

5(a) Comprehensive Human Goal

1. Right Understanding (Individual).
2. Prosperity (Family).
3. Fearlessness/Trust (Society).
4. Co-existence (Nature).

5(b) Trust and Love

• Trust: Assurance of the other’s intention.
• Love: The feeling of being related to all; the complete value.

6(a) Units and Space

• Existence is defined as units submerged in space.
• Space provides the medium and energy for units to interact.

6(b) Four Orders of Nature

7(a) Professional Ethics

• External rules (laws, audits) are insufficient without internal transformation.
• The solution is value-based education to develop natural acceptance of ethical conduct.

7(b) Modern Technology and Welfare

• Modern technology often prioritizes profit over ecological health.
• The path forward involves circular production, holistic technology, and redefining progress to include happiness and equity.