Unlike material values, things that we can see, touch, and feel, non-material values are the intangible things that make up a culture . They are the concepts, and ideologies that govern how we behave within any given society. Each society can be different based on its non-material values, in fact, because non-material values include things like religious beliefs, morals, and ethics. It also includes organizational patterns, language, and societal norms. How we conduct ourselves is based on non-material values much of the time, both in public, and in private. Because we cannot see them or touch them, and they are only concepts that govern how we act, our values can change over time. This essay will state the positive and negative impact non-material values have on society.
There are differences between material and non-material values. Many wonder what the difference is between a material and a non-material value. The difference is very simple. Material values are things a culture or society is governed by that can be seen, heard, or touched. It is tangible. For example, American culture is governed by material values like running shoes, Starbucks coffee, internet connections, and, any food with bacon inside it. Each of these are taken at face value and are usually a fad. They fade out quickly. Non-material values are slightly more complicated to explain. Religion is perhaps one of the most volatile non-material values present in any culture. It is intangible, making it non-material. We cannot see it or touch it, but must feel it and live by it in that way. It must be conceptualized. The religious non-material value consists of a set of sub-values based on which religion and culture it is in, and this dictates many things . For example, depending on the religion, i.e. non-material value, the society will hold a belief in a certain god, set of morals and ethics, and even may have certain predispositions toward either gender or children. When the non-material values surrounding religion converge, sometimes it can be chaotic; two groups can even erupt in violence. The non-material value of religion can cause cultures to respond vehemently because one group’s values challenge another group’s values. Essentially, either non-material set of values are then contradicting the others, and it would then be impossible for both to be true at the same time. Many groups around the world find it difficult to accept this, and live in peace. Instead, they fight to the death for their non-material values. These non-material values, then, cause some to behave in such a way that they lose their lives.
What a non-material value actually is can become confusing sometimes. A non-material value can also be something as simple as a cultural norm. For example, in many places in Western society, it is known as a cultural norm to wear clothes outside of the home, wherever you are. Typically, this is only a norm of the Western world; it is known for modesty, as well as sexualizing the human form at every given opportunity. The contradiction between sexualizing the female body, while also shaming it and demanding it only be an incubator for human life is quite puzzling. It is the cultural norm, nonetheless. Meanwhile, in many European countries they do not hold such cultural norms and, therefore, have different non-material values. The human body is not sexualized; it is not uncommon to see the naked form on beaches or on television before ten o’ clock. As a result, European countries are considered relatively less inhibited concerning their non-material values and social norms .
Non-material values are not just based on what culture you are in, depending on what value it is. A widely held non-material value that crosses the boundaries of all societies and cultures seems to be the value of a human life. Murder is typically inherently wrong in most societies, and the majority of individuals will seek out anybody who disagrees in order to ensure they pay a price for murder . Ethically, if one takes a life for no reason or for an unjust because it is considered wrong. However, in some societies, death is used as a punishment for some crimes. For example, life is valued so highly that it can be taken away of the crime is serious enough . Capital punishment is instigated in over twenty countries around the world in an effort to subdue violent crimes, crimes of passion, and murder itself, though sometimes it is to no avail. Some, though they are the minority, still consider taking a life to be okay. There is also the matter of war, wherein many lives are lost. Populations in many countries protest war, seeing no difference in murder as a crime, and death in the name of a government’s agenda. We can see here a cultural breakdown of non-material values. Some regard their non-material values as important and live by them regardless of the circumstance, while other groups see them as a grey area, and find ways to work around them.
In sum, non-material values are an important part of any society to function, but we also see that because they are intangible, they are also flexible. Many cultures have different non-material values, which causes them to behave differently than other cultures. They consider one thing more important than a different culture, and sometimes this can cause tension. Another culture may be less inhibited than surrounding areas, causing them to appear freer and more at ease. This can also cause tension, or may even make other cultures even more modest than they previously were, forcing them to cling even more tightly to their non-material value of humility than before, as we see in America. Cultures may even split in two based on their non-material values, as we see in the case of human lives, murder, and war. The fact that we cannot see them or touch them, but only conceptualize them allows them to change over time as we consider them. This makes them flexible which can be a wonderful thing, but also a dangerous thing.
References
Shaffer, M. S. (2012). Public Culture: Diversity, Democracy, and Community in the United States. University of Pennsylvania Press: Philadelphia.
Van Krieken, R., Habibis, D., Smith, P., Hutchins, B., Martin, G., & Maton, K. (2013). Sociology. Scottsdale: Pearson Education Publishers.
