Our text, “Western Civilizations: Ideas, Politics, and Society,” includes many of the core values ​​of today's modern society. Rationality, the first value listed, is simply the ability to use mental analysis to clearly understand different, sometimes complex, subjects. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rationality) Rationality is extremely important for the effective functioning of any society. The only alternative to action and rational thought is to act on impulse or without fully thinking through a situation. (http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/Ethics_Rationality.html) A prosperous society cannot act this way. I think for the most part, rationality is still alive and well today. Although not everyone always agrees with our President's decisions, I think everyone can agree that every decision made for our country is thoughtful. Political freedom is the second value cited. This is one of the most valuable assets of a democratic society. Living in a society free from overt oppression and enjoying civil liberties and human rights are some examples of political freedom. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_freedom) I'm a little hesitant about modern political freedom. It is obvious that as Americans we are free, but how free are we really? Gay and lesbian marriage is illegal, which means the government has a say in who we can and cannot marry. The consumption of cannabis is illegal, even though medical specialists have proven its ability to cure certain diseases, including cancer, but alcohol, which kills many people every year, remains perfectly legal. To me this shows that we are not really politically free, but that our situation is simply exponentially better than other countries. Inner freedom, the ability to ...... middle of paper ...... would exist without human dignity, so it goes without saying that it is the most important of all. premodern and modern values; I am mainly in favor of the modern set of values. I think that to become a better society of people; everyone must continue to move forward in all areas; including the evolution and growth of company values. Regarding postmodern values: it seems that they will revolve around the rejection of open truths, the role of language, power relations and that they will attack "pointed" classifications; black and white and man and woman for example. (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100420051934AAkkCqy) I feel like I'm a bit postmodern in my beliefs. I think that "cutting edge" classifications are wrong, but I also believe in extreme open-mindedness, so I feel like I'm in the middle of modern and postmodern thought..