Ethical thinking is important not because a person must be able to eloquently reason about morality. It determines where they direct their abilities. Technologies can make a person much more powerful, but they do not answer the question of what this power should be used for.

We can imagine three simple scenarios. A person has many skills but consciously uses their abilities to cause harm—their high competence amplifies the negative outcome. A person has fewer skills but tries to do useful things—their capabilities are limited, but the direction remains constructive. The most valuable combination occurs when high ability is combined with the intention to do good and a readiness to consider the consequences of one's decisions.

Therefore, in the HVQ model, ethical thinking is primarily responsible for direction. It is linked to the ability to notice consequences, take into account the interests of other people, and not use technological might as an excuse for any action.

At the same time, ethics does not exist in isolation from other qualities. To understand consequences, one needs experience and technological wisdom. To revise one's own beliefs, one needs volitional autonomy. Therefore, ethical thinking is one of the factors that determine what the rest of a person's power turns into.