Branches of Philosophy
Value Theory
Also Known As Axiology The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy notes that in its narrowest sense value theory is used for a relatively narrow area of normative ethical theory roughly synonymous with axiology, so the two terms are close but not in every use identical.
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The branch of philosophy that investigates what is good, how good it is, and how the goodness of different things compares. Traditional value theory, in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy's own words, seeks to investigate what things are good, how good they are, and how their goodness is related to one another. In its narrower sense the term is roughly synonymous with axiology, and the field examines intrinsic value, the goodness a thing has in itself, against instrumental value, the goodness it has for the sake of something else.
Facts
Disputed
Key DebateValue monism versus value pluralism: whether value is reducible to a single master value, such as pleasure or preference satisfaction, or is irreducibly plural, with goods such as friendship, knowledge and beauty each mattering in their own right and not fully substitutable for one another, a dispute sharpened by Isaiah Berlin's defense of pluralism. 2 Isaiah Berlin's value pluralism, developed against monist utilitarian and Kantian systems alike, remains the reference point for this dispute. Central QuestionWhat things are good, how good are they, and how does their goodness compare with one another? 1 Key DebateThe incommensurability of values: if one state of affairs is better than another only when it contains more value overall, and there is more than one basic intrinsic value, it becomes unclear how two states of affairs can be ranked when one contains more of one value and the other contains more of a different value, so that not every pair of valuable things may be comparable on a single scale at all. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Sources
1. Value Theory (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophySection 2, Traditional QuestionsQuote, Section 2, Traditional Questions
Traditional axiology seeks to investigate what things are good, how good they are, and how their goodness is related to one another.
1. Value Theory (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophySection 2.2.3, IncommensurabilityQuote, Section 2.2.3, Incommensurability
If one state of affairs is better than another just in case it contains more value than the other, and there are two or more basic intrinsic values, then it is not clear how two states of affairs can be compared, if one contains more of the first value, but the other contains more of the second.
1. Value Theory (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyIntroductionQuote, Introduction
In this narrow sense, 'value theory' is roughly synonymous with 'axiology'.
1. Value Theory (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyAssociated With: G.E. MooreView the Source 1. Value Theory (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyAssociated With: Immanuel KantView the Source 1. Value Theory (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyIncludes: Utilitarianism, entry: Value Theory, Section 3.1.2Quote, Includes: Utilitarianism, entry: Value Theory, Section 3.1.2
Classical consequentialism, and its instantiation in the form of utilitarianism, has been well-explored, and its advantages and costs cannot be surveyed here.
2. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Stanford University, Center for the Study of Language and Informations.v. Value PluralismView the Source Reader Challenges (0 open reader challenges)
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