Abstract:

In specific behavioral contexts,determining what is right and rightful is a fundamental question faced by humanity. This is essentially related to the righteousness of human actions or life. A rightful life is distinct from an instinctual life and serves as the foundation and prerequisite for human happiness. An individual’s rightful life is inseparable from the values they hold. Values are the principles that govern the righteousness of human actions and provide the standards by which actions are judged as right or wrong,righteous or unrighteous. Based on this understanding of the connotations of values,educators need to reassess the meaning,goals,pathways,and agents of values education. They should commit to understanding the necessity,importance,and foundational nature of values education from a more intrinsic perspective,recognizing that values education is not only top-down,externally driven advocacy,demands,or norms of certain values,but also a bottom-up,internally motivated care,empowerment,or promotion of adolescents’rightful life.

Key words: values, values education, righteousness, rightful human life