UNIVERSAL HUMAN VALUES AND ETHICS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE THOUGHT OF SYED MAUDUDI AND SHALOM H. SCHWARTZ

This article presents a comparative study of Syed Abul A‘la Maududi and Shalom H. Schwartz’s views on universal human values. While Maududi, an Islamic scholar and thinker, bases his framework on divine revelation, prophetic guidance, and the concept of human vicegerency (khilafah), Schwartz, a social psychologist, builds his value theory on cross-cultural empirical research. Maududi considers values such as justice, equality, and freedom as rooted in revelation and human moral responsibility under divine law. In contrast, Schwartz identifies ten basic human values as part of a universal psychological structure across societies, emphasizing individual choice and social harmony. This paper analyzes both frameworks, highlighting overlaps in values like benevolence and dignity while revealing essential differences in epistemological foundations, authority, and practical application. It argues that Maududi’s model emphasizes duty to God and submission to divine ethics, whereas Schwartz promotes pluralism and flexibility. The article concludes by suggesting that in a pluralistic world, interfaith and intercultural understanding can benefit from dialogue between religious and psychological perspectives on universal values. Keywords: Universal Human Values, Syed Maududi, Shalom Schwartz, Revelation, Psychology, Justice, Moral Philosophy, Comparative Analysis