value theory Flashcards
hedonists view of welfare?
only pleasure has final value and only pain has final disvalue. everything else (friendship, love) is only of instrumental value because it brings about pleasure
what does Desire Fulfillment Theory say about welfare?
something is valuable for you only if you desire it. our desires don’t just track what’s good for us, they actually make things good for us
what does it mean to say that something has final value?
it’s valuable for its own sake and not for the sake of something else. or “intrinsic value” though the meaning of something different. in contrast are things with “instrumental” value, things that are valuable for the sake of something else. happiness is for its own sake, money is for the sake of something else
prudential value
prudentially valuable if it contributes to someone’s welfare
welfare means what makes a life go well
ethical theory
1) a criterion of right: what actions are right and wrong
2) a theory of value: what sorts of things have value in the system
Objective List Theory
OLT is a class of theories. key idea is there is typically a plurality of things that contribute to our welfare. (friendship, knowledge, pleasure etc)
OLT basically says “look this stuff is valuable whether or not you think it is”
Robert Nozick- experience machine
objection to hedonist theory of welfare. suppose that scientists could put you in a sensory deprivation tank and hook you up to electrodes in order to simulate a life full of pleasure. once you’re in the machine you wouldn’t know it
