Sources of value Various theories about the sources of value have been proposed. They aim to clarify what kinds of things are intrinsically good. The historically influential theory of hedonism states that how people feel is the only source of value. More specifically, it says that pleasure is the only intrinsic good and pain is the only intrinsic evil. According to this view, everything else only has instrumental value to the extent that it leads to pleasure or pain, including knowledge, health, and justice. Hedonists usually understand the term pleasure in a broad sense that covers all kinds of enjoyable experiences, including bodily pleasures of food and sex as well as more intellectual or abstract pleasures, like the joy of reading a book or being happy about a friend's promotion. Pleasurable experiences come in degrees, and hedonists usually associate their intensity and duration with the magnitude of value they have.
sources of value various theories about the sources of value have been proposed they aim to clarify what kinds of things are intrinsically good the historically influential theory of hedonism states that how people feel is the only source of value more specifically it says that pleasure is the only intrinsic good and pain is the only intrinsic evil according to this view everything else only has instrumental value to the extent that it leads to pleasure or pain including knowledge health and justice hedonists usually understand the term pleasure in a broad sense that covers all kinds of enjoyable experiences including bodily pleasures of food and sex as well as more intellectual or abstract pleasures like the joy of reading a book or being happy about a friend's promotion pleasurable experiences come in degrees and hedonists usually associate their intensity and duration with the magnitude of value they have