Notes on Writing out a network of controlling ValuesThis will serve as a set of examples to help each of you write out the FOUR statements that make up a network of controlling values. I will discuss this with you in class on Tuesday, but this will provide you with access to WRITING this out.
The first step here is to determine what the controlling and counter ideas are for your selection of the text. On the value graph, I have renamed the controlling idea THE PURPOSE, which is ALWAYS going to be positively charged. I have renamed the counter idea THE CONTEXT, which is always negatively charged. Think: “above" = good/desirable; “down”= bad/undesirable. Beautiful flowers grow up from the mucky mud below. Arrows go up when they indicate a positive charge, and go down when they indicate a negative charge. So, take a statement like this, posed as the purpose of a controlling value: "Not creating your own path prevents you from enjoying the experience of your own goals and expectations.” That expresses a negatively charged value, yes? So it is actually a CONTEXT (counter idea) and not a PURPOSE (controlling idea). How would you re-write it to be stated as a “cause that leads to a positively charged value”? Perhaps like this: “When you create your own path, you experience the fulfillment of your goals and expectations.” Now, wasn’t that easy? Here’s another one, that was written to be a CONTEXT (which should be negatively charged): “Understanding reality is eye-opening.” That sounds positively charged, doesn’t it? How about: “Surrendering to the circumstances of life, and to the will of others, robs you of your agency, dignity, and ultimately, your self.” Ouch! You see, until you hit the “ouch,” you haven’t gotten to the CONTEXT. And until you hear Angels singing, you haven’t gotten to the PURPOSE. What complicates things is when you have to work out the opposing controlling value (with an entirely different context and purpose) from the one you started with. I will show you how to do that on Tuesday! In the meantime feel free to read my discussion of Controlling Value. Note on writing the "Premise"The premise is an open ended question that the narrative is in some way an answer to.
“You don't know what you think until you actually put it onto paper” is not a premise. Rather:
“What would happen to a young man with a guilty conscience loses himself to drunken bouts of revelry as an attempt to fit in and look good for others?” |