Value System - Consistency

Consistency

As a member of a society, group or community, an individual can hold both a personal value system and a communal value system at the same time. In this case, the two value systems (one personal and one communal) are externally consistent provided they bear no contradictions or situational exceptions between them.

A value system in its own right is internally consistent when

• its values do not contradict each other and
• its exceptions are
  • abstract enough to be used in all situations and
  • consistently applied.

Conversely, a value system by itself is internally inconsistent if:

• its values contradict each other and
• its exceptions are
  • highly situational and
  • inconsistently applied.

One of the conditions required for consistency in any (?) logical (i.e. value-conserving) system of statements is their transitivity. (See: Intransitivity. Occurrences.) Without it, it might eventually happen that A is of greater value than B, yet B is of greater value than A—which is a case of mutual contradiction in certain statements that determine values of A and B in the system. Value system consistency can be a value in and of itself.