Is intrinsic value conditional?

Abstract

Acceding to G.E. Moore, something's intrinsic value depends solely on its intrinsic nature. Recently Thomas Hurka and Shelly Kagan have argued, contra Moore, that something's intrinsic value may depend on its extrinsic properties. Call this view the 'Conditional View' of intrinsic value. In this paper I demonstrate how a Moorean can account for purported counterexamples given by Hurka and Kagan. I then argue that certain organic unities pose difficulties for the Conditional View. © 2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers.