Truth, Value, and Consolation

Damian Cox, University of Queensland

Abstract

Extract:
The distinction between intrinsic value on the one hand and instrumental and contributory value on the other is a distinction between values that provide us with inextinguishable reasons for acting and values that do not. If integrity, for instance, demands that we act in a certain way, then we have reason to act in this way. Plausibly, unless we find ourselves to have simply mistaken the demands of integrity, this reason cannot be extinguished by further reflection on the consequences or nature of what we do. It may be outweighed by other reasons, but it would continue to have weight come what may. Integrity is very plausibly considered intrinsically valuable.