Philosophy 160
Introduction to Ethics

Handout 7 - Axiology

What is Axiology?

Axiology is the attempt to discover a theory of value, which is an answer to this question:

What makes one situation (or "possible world") better than another?

Since most everyone agrees that one thing that determines how good a situation is, is how well off the people are in the situation, it is hard to separate axiology from theories of welfare, which attempt to answer this question:

What makes a life go well for the person who lives it?

(In other words: In what does welfare consist?)

Why Study Axiology?

(a) NEB.  A theory of value (which, in turn, probably requires a theory of welfare) is probably needed to solve the fundamental project of the Normative Ethics of Behavior, which is to discover what makes an action morally right.  (It is definitely needed if Utilitarianism is true; but probably still needed even if it is not.)

(b) Justice, equality.  The important concepts of justice and equality are tied up with the concept of welfare, as so cannot be fully understood without a theory of welfare.

(c) The Problem of Evil.  Here is a famous argument ("The Problem of Evil") for an interesting conclusion:

1. If God exists, then the world was created by an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good creator.
2. If the world was created by an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-good creator, then this world must be the best of all possible worlds.
3. If this world is the best of all possible worlds, then there is no better world imaginable.
4. But it is easy to imagine a world better than this.
5. Therefore, God does not exist.

This famous argument cannot be evaluated without a theory of value, since it concerns how good possible worlds are.

(d) Inherently Interesting.  We talk all the time about how good or bad some situation is. We talk all the time about things going well for some person. It would be nice to understand what we’re saying, just to understand it for its own sake.

Intrinsic Value vs. Instrumental Value

A thing is intrinsically good if it is good in itself; if it is good in virtue of its own nature; if it would remain good even if it failed to lead to anything else.

A thing is merely instrumentally good if it is good only for what it leads to; if it is good only "as a means"; if it would no longer be good if it failed to lead to anything else.

Likewise for intrinsic badness and instrumental badness.

In axiology, we are concerned more with intrinsic value.