My recent reading includes Value Theory (2015) by a young philosopher, Francesco Orsi.
Orsi has a three word formulation of his thesis: value is normative. By this he means that to say that anything is valuable -- morally, aesthetically, instrumentally, or in any way -- is to say something about what are fitting or unfitting attitudes, what are fitting or unfitting actions.
That doesn't sound too revolutionary. Indeed, like John Rawls's phrase "justice as fairness" it at most leaves one wondering how it is going to be unpacked.
Here's a more-or-less random quote:
"[A] particular fur coat might be regarded as valuable for its own sake, as an outstanding piece of handicraft yet so only assuming an appropriate evaluative background. If fur coats were not in general instrumentally valuable for the protection against the cold they provide, this particular coat could not have any value...."
I take it this means that there is a complicated relationship between instrumental and intrinsic value. We might value the exquisite handiwork that went into a particular coat, and think of it as an intrinsic good, but the intrinsically good only came about because fur coats in general serve a survival purpose -- our paleolithic ancestors wore rabbit fur in order not to die of hypothermia as the sunsets got earlier and earlier.
More to come as I get further into the book.
I recognize the difference you posit between instrumental and intrinsic value, but I don't think that "intrinsic" is the right word; "aesthetic" would be better. The exquisite handiwork of the coat has no value in and of itself; it has value to the extent that it evokes a positive aesthetic reaction from its viewer. Some people do not respond to contemporary classical music or painting, so to them it has no value. In fact, no music has value to deaf people, and no painting has value to blind people. Therefore, what you call intrinsic value is a form of instrumental value. As I said, however, it can be distinguished from other forms of instrumental value, so your point stands.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that aesthetic value captures all of what Orsi, following Moore in this, means by "intrinsic value." But I'll see if I can address the idea more emphatically in later posts.
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