My internal rupture re: "Internal Ruptures"

In an early draft of "Internal Ruptures" I drew a distinction between values and principles. While I'm still not convinced there's a difference, a friend's comment made me reconsider...

My friend, AudreyStephannie, commented the following on my most recent essay titled “Internal Ruptures: What we do when values conflict”.

I almost wonder if there is a thing about virtues vs values. I think virtues like justice and liberty are permanent and unchanging, yet objective. Values almost are maybe these virtues applied in a subjective way? Not sure, but was interesting food for thought as I went through your piece

My response was:

Hey friend,

Whew, this is such an interesting take. I REALLY like the idea of virtues being fixed, but I’m not sure they’re entirely exempt from the same kind of contextual turbulence as values.

In fact, in an earlier version of this essay, I tried to compare values and principles. I wrote:.

"Navigating the complex terrain of values, principles, and expectations requires a deep understanding of how these elements interact. Values, as I’ve explored, are context-dependent preferences that shift according to our immediate needs and goals. Principles, on the other hand, remain constant and provide a stable foundation, guiding us through value conflicts and offering clarity in decision-making."

I ultimately decided that the way I was describing values made principles and values indistinguishable. Maaaybe there's a time element here (preferences shift daily, values shift annually, principles shift every fortyear, virtues shift at midlife crisis?)? But I really don't know (if there is even an answer).

The version above reflects where I landed after removing everything I said about principles. I’ll publish the original version for my paid subscribers... let me know what you think when you read it? I’d love to hear what you think—especially how my description of principles compares to your conceptualization of virtues.

Thanks for the question!!! So good.

Below is an excerpt of my original draft of Internal Ruptures, in which I draw a distinction between values and principles.

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What are values?

There’s something about values that no one talks about. Prioritizing one value in a situation inevitably means deprioritizing another. Values aren’t something we carry with us, it seems, but a set of preferences we reference whenever we make a decision.

This might seem a bit extreme, but I do wonder if our values can even exist outside of a decision point.