Axiology

The fundamental project of axiology is the attempt to discover, properly formulate, and defend principles determining the intrinsic values of things including lives, outcomes, and possible worlds.

D1. x is intrinsically good =df. x is “good in itself”; x has a kind of value that x would continue to have even if x did not (i) lead to the existence of further bearers of positive value or (ii) prevent things of negative value from obtaining (If completely cut off from their causal chains, bearers of intrinsic value would remain valuable.); x is the sort of thing we always have a (perhaps defeasible) reason to promote, or protect, or preserve.

D2. x is instrumentally good =df. x is “good as a means”; x has a kind of value that x would not continue to have if x didn’t (i) lead to the existence of (other) intrinsically good things, or (ii) prevent intrinsically bad things from obtaining.

D3. x is intrinsically bad =df. x is “bad in itself”; x has a kind of value that x would continue to have even if x did not (i) lead to the existence of further bearers of negative value or (ii) prevent things of positive value from obtaining (If completely cut off from their causal chains, bearers of intrinsic value would remain valuable.); x is the sort of thing we always have a (perhaps defeasible) reason to avoid, or prevent.

D4. x is instrumentally bad =df. x has a kind of value that x would not continue to have if x didn’t (i) lead to the existence of (other) intrinsically bad things, or (ii) prevent intrinsically good things from obtaining.

IV: The intrinsic value of a thing, x, is the result of "subtracting" the total amount of intrinsic badness x contains from the total amount of intrinsic goodness that x contains.

“In order to [determine what things have intrinsic value] it is necessary to consider what things are such that, if they existed by themselves, in absolute isolation, we should yet judge their existence to be good; and, in order to decide upon the relative degrees of [intrinsic] value of different things, we must similarly consider what comparative value seems to attach to the isolated existence of each.” (G. E. Moore, Principia Ethica: 187)

ISO: x is intrinsically good (bad) iff x would still be good (bad) even if x existed in complete isolation.

Consumerism: The possession of consumer goods is intrinsically good. Nothing else is in the same way intrinisically good. One life, L1, is better than another life, L2, iff L1 contains a greater possession of consumer goods than L2.