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Does Intrinsic Value Exist? (self.philosophy)

submitted 10 months ago by thepiggz to c/[email protected]

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I’m new in this community. Anyone interested in engaging with these sorts of questions? If so, share your thoughts.

My initial inclination is that intrinsic value is an illusion.

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[–] thepiggz 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

One could ask, does the universe without humans have value? Does order over chaos have value? Does energy vs empty space have value?

If it would all still exist and go on this way without humans, it feels like someone or something must have seen value in it at least at some point. Or perhaps we do really exist in some manifestation of total chaos.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago) (1 children)

But there is where I end up in the same question as @[email protected]. What exactly do you mean by value?

I don't know what you mean if order has value over chaos, but we have values for order and the general law is, that it's going towards chaos. Entropy.

And according to physicists, empty space itself has an energy value. They call it dark energy. No one knows what it is.

Also, I think it's a bit egocentric to think it's all about humans. Who says we are the only ones with the concept of value, even just on our planet. Maybe we're just an anomaly. Like mold growing on someone's solar system model.

[–] thepiggz 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I’m now considering a line of thinking where value = scarcity. Feels weird, but maybe there’s something there?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 10 months ago (1 children)

That wasn't what I was thinking of, but I think there is something to it. Even it's not an intrinsic value, it's indisputable that some scarce resources have immense value to any life form that can utilise them. That's a big factor in evolution.

But does it have "value"? What is the point of a planet with life on it against a barran rock planet or a gas giant? Why does the universe care that something is scarce?

I don't know if you know about George Carlin, but a lot of people refere to him as a philosopher. But it's also really harsh and abrasive stand-up comedy. And a few decades old.

But what if we are just here to make plastic?

[–] thepiggz 1 points 10 months ago

Hey, i’ll check that comedian out. I can guess where that plastic and scarcity in the universe argument might go.

I’ve been thinking about it more and I added my own comment about my new inclination on this.

The problem with my initial line of thinking was in craving certainty. I think intrinsic value is not so much an illusion as it is a mystery. It very well could be plastic for all we know, or it might not exist at all.