5) Madaba's Values

These are his social values, not his interpersonal values, these are intended for all humankind

 1) Peace

Human civilization cannot flourish if we keep blowing each other up, or even threatening to blow each other up! - that is not what I would call a constructive environment...

And if we manage to annihilate all life on planet Earth through a massive nuclear war then that would be bad news for everyone on Earth - it would be the end of Human civilization

Let's spend money on education and the arts and on solving social problems - as opposed to killing each other

Hospitals, not aircraft carriers!

If none of us really wants war and cannot really afford a war, or are able to launch a war, then there is no need for everyone else to spend so much on defence, if we do away with the means of waging war by all de-escalating - away from conflict and towards peace

Especially if we all decide not to do war and then live accordingly

However, none of that equates to making it so you are not able to do anything if you are attacked, by either a state or terrorist group - but a defensive war effort is in a different moral category to an offensive war effort

Anyway, a solid commitment to peace by the world's leading powers would be good for life on Earth.

2) Freedom

"Give me freedom or give me death!"

There is no good in not being blown up if you are a slave, or live under a tyranny

And I'm talking about both positive freedoms (rights) and freedoms from things (such as poverty or oppression)

A part of being free is having rights. The sociologist TH Marshall identified three types of rights, the development the first leading to the development of the second, and then the third

He identified:

• Civic Rights - the right to a fair trial, the right not to be tortured. And the right to property
• Political Rights - having the vote, freedom of speech, freedom of association, freedom of assembly
• Social Rights - healthcare, unemployment support, education

Being free is good, but not worth much if nobody has rights - and rights have to be universal, they aren't really rights if only a few people have them. That would make them privileges.

3) Development

No good being free and living in peace if you are living in a cardboard box under a bridge

We need a basic standard of living, a universal quality of life to be enforced the world over and applied to everyone

I'm talking about food, running water, shelter, safety, electricity, education, healthcare, security. That sort of thing, the sort of things people have in developed nations but not in developing ones.

The whole world needs to meet a minimum standard of development. Once that has been met we can concentrate on creating global abundance and comfort - once the most basic of needs are universally met

4) The Environment

We humans are currently trashing our planet's life-support system

Not a good idea

But our leadership is corrupt and doesn't care

Environmentalists need to amplify their campaigns and people need to join them!

5) Science and Technology

These are good in themselves, and can help the other aims

However, they need to be done ethically and for the right reasons

Although a lot of the time a technology is invented that has unexpected consequences - both positive and negative

And of course, the technology of any society has a big impact on a society's way of life - consider the industrial revolution and the internet!