Approaches to understanding the essence of values and their systems

Research shows that not only in pedagogical science, but also in other sciences, the lack of a specific unified interpretation of the term “value” itself causes certain difficulties. Despite the widespread use of the term “value” both in everyday speech and in various sciences, its abstract nature remains. In the sciences, values are given different definitions, such as a psychological phenomenon, a topic of philosophical discussion, or an economic value. There is no generally accepted single definition of values. Some philosophers even argue that this concept cannot be defined. A study conducted in 1969 noted that there were about 180 definitions of the concept “value” or corresponding synonyms. All this follows from the fact that the concept of values is a vague concept. This ambiguity stems from the fact that the concept has both an objective and a subjective meaning. On the one hand, values are rules and responsibilities that do not depend on people and the lifestyle norms arising from them, and on the other hand, values are an individual's ideas about what is more important for his life. At the same time, if we take into account that the prevailing way of thinking in modern conditions requires consideration of social processes in an interdisciplinary relationship, then the uncertainty inherent in concepts in general can be considered both an advantage and a disadvantage. Disadvantage – because it makes it difficult for different points of view to understand each other. As an advantage, because opposing aspects can balance each other. The article examines special studies by a number of foreign experts on such issues as values, their nature and content, characteristic features, and also analyzes and explores what the essence of values is. Consequently, to clarify the content of this understanding, it is necessary to turn to philosophical, sociological, psychological and pedagogical approaches. Otherwise, the attitude towards values and the approach to them may be one-sided. In this case, as in the approaches found in psychological and pedagogical literature, positions may coincide with each other