A Clear Hierarchy of Values

From “Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life” by Luke Burgis

ESTABLISH AND COMMUNICATE A CLEAR HIERARCHY OF VALUES

A hierarchy of values is an antidote to mimetic conformity. If all values are treated equal, then the one that wins out – especially at a time of crisis – is the one that is most mimetic. (During the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, there was panic-buying of toilet paper. There was no issue with supply; there was an issue with mimesis. Cultural values are often subject to the same irrationality – people tend to panic-buy whatever is most important to them at the moment rather than what is best for the common good.)

It’s not enough to name values. They need to be ranked. When all values are the same, nothing is valued at all. It’s like highlighting every single word in a book.

It’s better to construct a mental model of your hierarchy of values (or your shared values, if you are in a relationship). Map it out on paper. Encourage your company to do the same. That hierarchy can change as time goes on. But by stratifying your values, you will be able to weigh and measure options when you have to make decisions in complex situations.

Remember that conflict is caused by sameness, not by difference. If everything is equally good or important, the propensity for conflict is higher. Don’t contribute to the tyranny of relativism. It has too many tyrants as it is.

A lack of clear, prioritized values in many companies allows mimesis to hijack the concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and turn it into a flaccid marketing gimmick. It’s not that the values espoused by CSR programs aren’t important. But one gets the feeling that even “social responsibility” has become a mimetic, virtue-signaling game – more “social” than responsible. Avoid that by establishing and communicating both your values and their relative importance.

Some values are absolutes. Know them. Defend them. They make up the base of the pyramid, or the center of your concentric circles (depending on how you choose to depict the hierarchy).

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