Intrinsic and Instrumental Value: Complementary Concepts
- The concepts of intrinsic value and instrumental value are not mutually exclusive, they can coexist and complement each other.
- An entity can possess both types of value, depending on the context and perspective.
Case study
Whales
Intrinsic Value
- Aesthetic Appeal: Whales may be valued for their beauty, majesty, or their role in the natural world. Many cultures or individuals might appreciate whales for their sheer existence, irrespective of their utility to humans. This is an example of intrinsic value.
- Ethical Respect: From an ecocentric or biocentric viewpoint, whales are valued because they are living beings with inherent worth, deserving of respect and protection.
Instrumental Value
- Tourism: Whales can have instrumental value through whale-watching tourism. People travel to specific locations to see whales, which can generate revenue and support local economies.
- Ecological Benefits: Whales also contribute to marine ecosystems by regulating fish populations and enhancing nutrient cycling, making them valuable to human interests, such as fishing and ecosystem services.
Interplay Between the Two Values
- Aesthetic and Economic: A whale may be admired for its beauty (intrinsic value), but it also brings economic value through tourism (instrumental value).
- Ethical and Practical: Conservation efforts may be justified both by the ethical duty to protect whales (intrinsic value) and by their contribution to economic benefits through ecotourism or ecosystem stability (instrumental value).
Why the Coexistence Matters
- Holistic Conservation: Understanding that something can have both intrinsic and instrumental value helps form more well-rounded conservation strategies.
- Ethical Decision-Making: Ethical decision-making does not have to solely rely on one kind of value. A whale might be protected because of both its inherent dignity and economic importance.
Example
Protecting whales because they are important to both the environmental health and human society.
Note
By recognizing that entities can have multiple types of value, we can develop comprehensive environmental policies that address both moral obligations and practical benefits.
