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Philosophy doesn't provide cookbook solutions to the many dilemmas we face in day-to-day practice. However, it can help us to understand ourselves and why we make certain decisions. The educational role of the Extension professional is much too important to leave to mere chance or tradition. Philosophy provides an informed alternative. How strongly do I hold these beliefs? The key question in understanding one's personal philosophy of adult education is the strength to which we're committed to certain values. Raths, Harmin, and Simon suggest that it's possible to distinguish between three levels of a value.8 Acceptance of a value is a tentative belief in a given position, preference for a value means that we're willing to actively pursue and be identified with the position, and commitment is a strong belief in a position, often expressed as conviction, faith, or loyalty. The value of this distinction in practice is that it can help us know where to focus our energies and "choose our battles." A value to which we're committed would obviously be more worthwhile to defend than one that we merely accept.
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