Inherent Value
Philosopher Julian Baggini has a nice harrumph about why so many things today — from art and singing to sex and nature — are marketed as “means to ends” instead of in their own right.
He laments an art gallery pass, which twists the arm of potential art lovers not by pointing out the inherent beauty of paintings but by the hours it’ll statistically add to the end of your life thanks to art’s scientifically-quantified destressing power.
I wonder what advocates of this logic imagine people will do with the extra longevity? Art won’t appeal anymore if it has no inherent value.
I have seen countless other examples of all the things that are good in life being promoted not for their own sake but for the material benefits they bring. This instrumentalisation has become normalised so insidiously that we don’t even notice that it is odd, let alone wrong. Nor do we seem to be aware of quite how pervasive it is. Yet its effects are profound, leading us to lose sight again and again of what is truly of value in life.
I’ve noticed it too. “Listen to birdsong to reduce your stress levels.” How about just “listen to birdsong”? Why wouldn’t you want to listen to birdsong?
Intrinsic human goods include all the things that make life worth living without need of any further justification. To ask of them: “What’s the point?” would be to miss the point. They are the point.
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About Robert Wringham
Robert Wringham is the editor of New Escapologist. He also writes books and articles. Read more at wringham.co.uk