Intrinsic value (ethics)

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object has "in itself" or "for its own sake", and is an intrinsic property. An object with intrinsic value may be regarded as an end, or in Kantian terminology, as an end-in-itself.[2]

The term "intrinsic value" is used in

deontological ethics argue that morally right actions (those that respect moral duty
to others) are always intrinsically valuable, regardless of their consequences.

Other names for intrinsic value are terminal value, essential value, principle value, or ultimate importance.[3]

An 'end'

In philosophy and ethics, an end, or

means
, which is something that helps you achieve that goal. For example, money or power may be said to be a means to the end of happiness. Nevertheless, some objects may be ends and means at the same time.

End is roughly similar, and often used as a synonym, for the following concepts:

  • Purpose or aim: in its most general sense the anticipated result that guides action.
  • Goal or objective consists of a projected state of affairs a person or a system plans or intends to achieve or bring about.

Life stances and intrinsic value

Further information: Life stance § Values and purposes

This table attempts to summarize the main intrinsic value of different life stances and other views, although there may be great diversity within them:

Life stance and other views Main intrinsic value
Moral nihilism None
Humanism human flourishing
Environmentalism life flourishing
Feminism gender equality
Multiculturalism flourishing of cultural values beyond one's own
Hedonism pleasure
Eudaemonism
 human flourishing
Utilitarianism utility (classically and usually, happiness or pleasure and absence of pain)
Rational
deontologism
 virtue or duty
Rational eudaemonism, or tempered Deontologism both virtue and happiness combined[4]
Situational ethics love
Christianity
Imago Dei
Judaism Tikkun olam
Buddhism Enlightenment and Nirvana

Quantity

There may be zero, one, or several things with intrinsic value.[5]

Intrinsic nihilism, or simply nihilism (from Latin nihil, 'nothing') holds that there are zero quantities with intrinsic value.

Intrinsic aliquidism

Further information:
Ethic value equality

Intrinsic aliquidism, or simply aliquidism (from Latin aliquid, 'something') holds that there is one or more. This may be of several quantities, ranging from one single to all possible.[6]

  • Intrinsic monism (from Greek monos, 'single') holds that there is one thing with intrinsic value. This view may hold only life stances that accept this object as intrinsically valuable.
  • Intrinsic multism (from Latin multus, 'many') holds that there are many things with intrinsic value. In other words, this view may hold the instrinsic values of several life stances as intrinsically valuable.
  • Intrinsic panism (from Greek pan, 'everything') holds that everything has an intrinsic value.

Among followers of aliquidistic life stances regarding more than one thing as having intrinsic value, these may be regarded as equally intrinsically valuable or unequally so. However, in practice, they may in any case be unequally valued because of their

whole values
.

Intrinsic multism

This view may hold the intrinsic values of several life stances as intrinsically valuable. Note the difference between this and regarding several intrinsic values as more or less

instrumentally valuable
, since intrinsic monistic views also may hold other intrinsic values than their own chosen one as valuable, but then only to the degree other intrinsic values contribute indirectly to their own chosen intrinsic value.

The most simple form of intrinsic multism is intrinsic bi-ism (from Latin two), which holds two objects as having intrinsic value, such as happiness and virtue. Humanism is an example of a life stance that accepts that several things have intrinsic value.[5]

Multism may not necessarily include the feature of intrinsic values to have a negative side—e.g., the feature of utilitarianism to accept both pain and pleasure as of intrinsic value, since they may be viewed as different sides of the same coin.

Unspecified aliquidism

Main article: Ietsism

Ietsism (

belief system, dogma or view of the nature of God
offered by any particular religion.

In this sense, it may roughly be regarded as aliquidism, without further specification. For instance, most life stances include the acceptance of "there is something, some meaning of life, something that is an end-in-itself or something more to existence, and it is", assuming various objects or "truths", while ietsism, on the other hand, accepts "there is something", without further assumption to it.

Total intrinsic value

The

total whole value
of an object.

Concrete and abstract

The object with intrinsic value, the end, may be both a

abstract object
.

Concrete

In the case where concrete objects are accepted as ends, they may be either single

life stances choose all particulars of universals as ends. For instance, Humanism does not assume individual humans as ends but rather all humans of humanity
.

Continuum

When generalizing multiple particulars of a single universal it may not be certain whether the end is actually the individual particulars or the rather abstract universal. In such cases, a life stance may rather be a

continuum
between having a concrete and abstract end.

This may render life stances of being both intrinsic multistic and intrinsic monistic at the same time. Such a quantity contradiction, however, may be of only minor practic significance, since splitting an end into many ends decreases the

value intensity
.

Types of intrinsic value

Absolute and relative

There may be a distinction between

absolute and relative ethic value
regarding intrinsic value.

Relative intrinsic value is subjective, depending on individual and cultural views and/or the individual choice of life stance. Absolute intrinsic value, on the other hand, is philosophically absolute and independent of individual and cultural views, as well as independent on whether it discovered or not what object has it.

There is an ongoing discussion on whether an absolute intrinsic value exists at all, for instance in

ethic valuing
activity as purposive beings. When held across only some contexts, Dewey held that goods are only intrinsic relative to a situation. In other words, he only believed in relative intrinsic value, but not any absolute intrinsic value. He held that across all contexts, goodness is best understood as instrumental value, with no contrasting intrinsic goodness. In other words, Dewey claimed that anything can only be of intrinsic value if it is a contributory good.

Positive and negative

There may be both

positive and negative value regarding intrinsic value, wherein something of positive intrinsic value is pursued or maximized, while something of negative intrinsic value is avoided or minimized. For instance, in utilitarianism, pleasure has positive intrinsic value and suffering
has negative intrinsic value.

Similar concepts

Intrinsic value is mainly used in ethics, but the concept is also used in philosophy, with terms that essentially may refer to the same concept.

See also

References

  1. ^ Environmental Values Archived 2017-03-06 at the Wayback Machine, based on Singer, Peter "The Environmental Challenge", Ian Marsh, edit., Melbourne, Australia: Longman Cheshire, 1991, 0-582-87125-5. pp. 12
  2. ^ Ivo de Gennaro, Value: Sources and Readings on a Key Concept of the Globalized World, BRILL, 2012, p. 138.
  3. ^ See also Robert S. Hartman's use of the term regarding the science of value.
  4. ^ The Catholic Encyclopedia 6. Universal Knowledge Foundation. 1913. p. 640.
  5. ^
    Council for Secular Humanism. Archived from the original
    on 2008-05-03. Retrieved 2008-04-09.
  6. ^ “Metaphysical Nihilism or Aliquidism? Against an Empty World,” presented at the Kentucky Philosophical Association, Transylvania University. Lexington, KY. 28 October 2006.
  7. ^ Theory of Valuation by John Dewey
  8. ^ Puolimatka, Tapio; Airaksinen, Timo (2002). "Education and the Meaning of Life" (PDF). Philosophy of Education. University of Helsinki. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-26. Retrieved 2007-07-26.

External links

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