Political discussion in recent years has retreated from a substantial, meaningful debate on civic and moral virtue to an entrenched academic exercise calculating market values. Going as far back as Confucius and Plato and as recently as Thomas Jefferson and Martin Luther King Jr, moral and civic virtue was a consideration; part of the equation. What has happened in the past 40 years?

Here is my take:

• Market Value is defined as consumption. It is a system of thought and action in which the individual is consumer. It is characterized by the indignity and hubris of inequality, measured by financial growth, and its failures are remedied with rhetoric, fundamentalism, nationalism, a welfare state and distributive justice.
• Civic Value is defined as production. It is a system of thought and action in which the individual is producer. It is characterized by the dignity of work, measured by social growth, and its failures are remedied with a combination of distributive and contributive justice.
• Moral Value is defined as enrichment. It is a system of thought and action in which the individual is humanitarian. It is characterized by the propriety of ethical behavior, measured by character growth, and its failures are remedied with equitable opportunity, education, and ongoing process improvement.

The three values above encapsulate systems of political thought and action over the last twenty-five or so centuries. It may be an oversimplification but I believe our recent decline is a result of our increasing capacity for learning that has enabled rapid technological progress and at the same time stymied our ability to think. We are so busy creating, we have left no time to consider potential outcomes or repercussions. We have grown smart faster than we have grown wise. So we have fallen back on this system of Market Value because it appeals to our current level of acuity and does not require the thoughtful, careful depth of consideration necessary for inclusion of Civic Value and/or Moral Value. And to further complicate matters, this capacity-wisdom gap has created a need for a fourth value:

• Survival Value is defined as synergy. It is a system of thought and action in which the individual contributes greater than one part of the whole in collaboration with others. It is characterized by the inviolability of Life, measured by symbiotic growth, and its failures are remedied with universal education, cooperation and discipline.

For the moment we are stuck with Capitalism and the global politicization of Market Value, so though I believe it would be a better world if our efforts were focused on Civic Value, Moral Value and Survival Value, for now we must consider all four values and prioritize accordingly. The challenge of course is that in this moment all of our focus and effort is on Market Value. Further analysis, discussion, written thought, below:

Market Value. Market Value as a system of thought and action is a direct result of capitalism. Capitalism is failing. In this country, our entire political structure is found within the outline of Market Value. The difference between Republicans and Democrats mostly lies in their proposed remedies; fundamentalism and nationalism vs. a welfare state and the occasional sincere effort toward distributive justice. (In my mind distributive justice differs from a welfare state in that a welfare state includes a bureaucracy doling out humiliation flimsily disguised as accountability and the resulting stigma of being on the far end of the wrong side of the wealth and power gap; whereas distributive justice includes acknowledgement that the system bears a large portion of the blame and responsibility for failure and recognizes individual worth regardless of circumstance.) Both of our political parties utilize considerable rhetoric, including opportunity and mobility as talking points, but until civic value again becomes part of the equation, opportunity and mobility will remain paralyzed. And though the Republicans today appear to bring a slightly heavier dose of bias with the far right much more explicit, that does not excuse the middle to the far left who are often implicit to the point that they don’t even recognize it as bias. Explicit bias appears more divisive, but to repair the rifts, implicit bias must also be overcome but may prove to be a bigger challenge than explicit bias. Regardless, as long as Capitalism continues to fortify the wealth and power gap, there will be no natural, instinctive remedies for failures, and there will be no to slow movement toward civic and moral virtue.

Civic Value. Civic value as production and the individual as producer sounds academic and dry and feels like an extension of capitalism and though it may be these things, it is also a vehicle for meaning and purpose. To focus on and work to understand civic value strengthens the viability of capitalism (or whichever economic system is in play) by adding dignity and esteem, by extending and fortifying social bonds, and by adding options for remedying failures. Distributive justice is fuller access and more equitable access. Contributive justice increases dignity and allows for individual meaning and purpose. Within Civic Value, where and when the system fails, we can combine elements of distributive and contributive justice creating a more well-rounded effort that will also work towards cooperation and increase the potential for empathy and compassion which in turn moves us toward moral virtue.

Moral Value. Moral value takes into consideration an individual’s reach. In my mind, moral value should be a system of thought and action in which the individual adds value, giving back however they are able for the betterment of all, but most ideally in a system in which they are allowed to pursue opportunity consistent with individual ability, thus maximizing worldwide efficiency and output. In addition, where and when the system fails, there should be no shortage of resources, no shortage of empathy and compassion, and no hesitation. We are some distance from this Ideal. Just as successful remedies for failure within Civic Value move us toward Moral Value, to maintain equitable opportunity, to increase the number and availability of educational options, and to strive for consistent proliferative process improvement seem to be necessary steps toward Survival Value.

Survival Value. Survival value demands that the individual consider beyond their self and beyond those communities within the individual’s reach and, in collaboration with others, not only adds value, but adds more than their fair share of value. An unequivocal acknowledgement of the inviolability of All Life, (sentient, non-sentient, past, present and future), today is advantageous to the survival of our species. We must somehow care about everyone. In the last 40 years, because we have become more smart than wise, to save us we need to work to save all. This last statement is especially true in the context of today's us and them.

So, to survive, we must work within survival value. But to do that we must also rescue moral value, somehow prop up civic value, and keep our hands on market value (hopefully in order to one day throttle it). So extending this thought still further, let's be truthful; nobody truly cares about everybody. Everybody only cares about individuals. Even those groups I may believe I care about, (and in some cases actually do care about), are identified as an extension of me, the individual; my family, my friends, my cohort, my community, my culture, my state, my nation, my species. It all begins with me and radiates outward to a lucky few who are fortunate to know me or to be associated with me. To truly care about everybody is to deny oneself. To deny oneself is to abrogate human nature. To abrogate human nature is to elevate Life. To elevate Life is to deny God. To deny God is to deny Power. To deny Power is to deny meaning. To deny meaning is to acknowledge infinity. To acknowledge infinity is to embrace ubiquity. To embrace ubiquity is to deny Existence. To deny Existence is to truly care about everybody. Nobody truly cares about everybody. I believe that the best I can hope for is to create occasional moments in which I am able to elevate Life so I may be reminded to think and act in a way that consistently respects the inviolability of All Life. This direction is what is necessary for survival.