So, why the &#%! is value so important, anyway? In a world that increasingly tells us our values are just personal opinions or made-up stories, what's the big deal? In this dialogue, Dr. Marc Gafni and Dr. Zak Stein deliver a powerful and urgent answer. They argue that value is not a human invention but a fundamental part of Reality itself, directly challenging the popular idea that meaning is just a useful delusion. They reveal what happens when a society loses its shared sense of value. The result isn't a neutral void, but the rise of what they call "anti-value"—a predatory, nihilistic force that drives existential crises and can be seen in rising suicide rates and the disintegration of social trust. This conversation makes the urgent case that reclaiming a universal grammar of value is not an abstract philosophical game; it is the essential, foundational step for addressing the meta-crisis. Note on Source Material and Citation The material covered in this podcast is drawn from a forthcoming volume published by the World Philosophy and Religion Press: Reconstructing Value & Preserving Human Freedom in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Exit the Silicon Maze, Vol. 1 If you deploy any material from this episode, please cite directly using the following reference: Temple, David J., Conversations with David J. Temple, World Philosophy and Religion Press, November 2025, Episode: “Why the &#%! Is Value So Important?” About the Authorial Voice of David J. Temple David J. Temple is a pseudonym created for enabling ongoing collaborative authorship between Dr. Marc Gafni, Dr. Zak Stein and Ken Wilber at the Center for World Philosophy and Religion, a leading international think tank whose mission is to address existential risk by articulating a shared universal Story of Value for global intimacy and global coordination. The Center focuses its work on a world philosophy, Cosmo-Erotic Humanism, as the ground for a global vision of value, economics, politics, and spiritual coherence. Get the book: "First Principles and First Values: Forty-Two Propositions on CosmoErotic Humanism, the Meta-Crisis, and the World to Come" - https://www.amazon.com/First-Principles-Values-Propositions-CosmoErotic-ebook/dp/B0CWYDGFZY Join the Academy: World Philosophy and Religion Academy - https://www.centerforworldphilosophyandreligion.com/ra Subscribe to the Center for World Philosophy and Religion newsletter - https://worldphilosophyreligion.substack.com/