How Are Intrinsic Values Possible?

As a pioneering work of metaethics,an important contribution of Principia Ethica is to clearly put forward the conception of intrinsic value.But how is the intrinsic value possible? This is an issue that is still being debated.Based on Principia Ethica and relevant texts,this thesis reconstructs G.E.Moore's specific argument on intrinsic value,so as to respond to various arguments of contemporary axiologists on intrinsic value on the one hand,and try to outline more clearly the whole outline of Moore's intrinsic value theory,with a view to further examining the true significance of this theory in the context of contemporary ethics.Based on Moore's intuitionism standpoint and his criticism of naturalistic fallacy,this thesis demonstrates inanalyzability of intrinsic value: intrinsic value as a nonnatural property does not supervene on the certain natural properties,and as an evaluation property,it cannot be established on certain factual properties,facts and state of affairs.In this way,the bears of intrinsic value can neither be an abstract property,unobtained state of affairs,nor an abstract fact related to the agent,nor a specific thing with uniqueness or historical importance.Next,after the question of "what kind of things have intrinsic value" is gradually clarified,we further illustrate the question of how intrinsic value exists.Moore uses the supervenience principle to clarify that intrinsic value must exist supervening on the intrinsic property of things,taking isolation principle to distinguish the difference between intrinsic value and instrumental value.Also,he determines the intrinsic value of the whole by the organic unity principle is not equal to the sum of the values of all the parts.Correspondingly,this thesis also examines several questions that some researchers have on Moore's conception of intrinsic value,and concludes that this intrinsic value is not coherent in itself,but it presupposes a certain coherence between intrinsic value and extrinsic value.To be sure,intrinsic value is the non-derivative value supervene on the intrinsic property of things and is equivalent to the final value,while the value as a means(i.e.instrument value)is derived from the intrinsic value and is equivalent to the extrinsic value.Finally,as for the question of "what should we do",we believe that the right action is the behavior of maximizing the intrinsic value.Thus,intrinsic value becomes the only source of normative action.