Inherent value

Instrumental value (or extrinsic value, contributory value) is the value of objects, both physical objects and abstract objects, not as ends-in-themselves, but as means of achieving something else. It is often contrasted with items of intrinsic value. It is studied in the field of value theory.

An ethic good with instrumental value may be regarded as an ethic means, not necessarily being an end in itself.

An ethic mean is mostly only used as a plurale tantum, and is therefore expressed as ethic means or just means.

An instrumental value may be directly valuable or more or less indirectly so. For instance, in the perspective of a hedonist with pleasure as end-in-itself, then music may be regarded as something directly instrumentally valuable by directly generating pleasure. A guitar, on the other hand, may be regarded as something indirectly instrumentally valuable, since it generates end-in-itself by generating music which, in turn, generates the end-in-itself – pleasure in this case.

Generally, regardless of what is regarded as having instrinsic value, the instrumental values may be regarded as having different grades of instrumental value, where the first grade instrumental value is the direct instrumental value, the second grade instrumental value is the degree something generates this, etc. etc. until the infinite grade instrumental value.

The universe may be regarded as chains of events of objects, possibly ultimately generating the end-in-itself. More than one thing may generate something of the next grade value – both a guitar and a piano may generate music. Besides, a thing may generate several other things in the chain-reaction – money, for instance, may result in generation of both guitars and pianos. Thus, the causality may be regarded as a fabric of events, with many chains of events intertwined, sometimes splitting and sometimes joining.

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Wikipedia