Define values and describe differences between values and knowledge as explained by Allen Pincus and ...

Allen Pincus and Anne Minahan defined values as beliefs, preferences, or assumptions about what is desirable or good for humans. An example is the belief that society has an obligation to help each individual realize his fullest potential. They are not assertions about how the world is and what people know about it, but how it should be. As such, value statements cannot be subjected to scientific investigation; they must be accepted on faith. Thus one can speak of a value as being right or wrong only in relation to the particular belief system or ethical code being used as a standard. What is referred to as knowledge statements, on the other hand, are observations about the world and humans which have been verified or are capable of verification. An example is that black people have a shorter life expectancy than white people in the United States. When one speaks of a knowledge statement as being right or wrong, he or she is referring to the extent to which the assertion has been confirmed through objective empirical investigation.