Joseph Reaglehttp://reagle.org/joseph/blog/social/values-interestsJoseph Reaglehttp://reagle.org/joseph/blog/social/values-interestsCopyright 2003-2010 Joseph Reagle
PyBlosxom http://pyblosxom.sourceforge.net/ 1.4.3 01/10/2008
2004-04-01T22:16:50ZValues and Interestshttp://reagle.org/joseph/blog/2004/04/01/values-interests2004-04-01T22:16:50Z2004-04-01T22:16:50Z
<p>In one of my classes, our discussion tends to get confused as to the
meaning of an interest versus a value. My own understanding is very much
influenced by the book <em><a
href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0140157352/104-5443402-1785556?v=glance">Getting
to Yes</a></em>: from the point of view of negotiation one should disclose
one's interests instead of insisting upon a position. For example, two boys
might fight in a schoolyard over the possession of an orange. The one boy's
interest is to eat the fruit, the other boy's interest is the use the skin in
a science experiment. They have taken incompatible positions, though their
interests are not so.</p>
<p>Extending this framework to include values I would offer the following.
Values are the beliefs or assumptions one has about the world that informs
one's actions. Interests are the values instantiated in a particular context
for a particular agent. Positions are then the stances an agent takes in
fulfilling its interests. The agent might be a person or a community; the
values may be latent/hidden or in conflict with one another; the interests
are dependent upon the context and the agents understanding of that context;
and there maybe more than one position that satisfies one's interest, and
this too can be confused and muddled.</p>
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