Toward a Theory of Intrinsic Value

Abstract Concerned with what would or would not be a good or worthwhile or desirable states of affairs, as when one says, ‘It would be a good thing if P’. Some theorists have attempted to provide such a theory by providing a theory of intrinsic value. It is not clear whether a theory of intrinsic value can be developed along the lines of what has been the standard account. If one is to develop such a theory, one will need to introduce a notion of ‘basic intrinsic value’ in addition to the notion of ‘intrinsic value’. Several different theories of intrinsic value may account for the same judgements concerning desirability and it may be arbitrary to choose one such theory over another.