is an ethics grounded on predefined values (Value/Values). The term gained acceptance in Neo-Kantian and phenomenological practical philosophy during the early 20th century (M. Scheler, N. Hartmann), but as a substantial category it can clearly be extended to earlier approaches.
According to Aristotle, an action is good if it avoids extremes in favor of guidance by an objective “mean” (Eth. Nic. II). Antiquity was dominated by several variants of this idea, which arose through the inclusion of normative categories like “nature” or “what is proper” (decorum: Cicero…