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Traditions by region
In ethics, intrinsic value is a property of anything that is valuable on its own. Intrinsic value is in contrast to instrumental value , which is a property of anything that derives its value from a relation to another intrinsically valuable thing. Intrinsic value is always something that an object has "in itself" or "for its own sake", and is an intrinsic property. An object with intrinsic value may be regarded as an end, or in Kantian terminology, as an end-in-itself.
The term "intrinsic value" is used in axiology, a branch of philosophy that studies value. All major normative ethical theories identify something as being intrinsically valuable. For instance, for a virtue ethicist, eudaimonia has intrinsic value, whereas things that bring you happiness may be merely instrumentally valuable. Similarly, consequentialists may identify pleasure, the lack of pain, and/or the fulfillment of one's preferences as having intrinsic value, making actions that produce them merely instrumentally valuable. On the other hand, proponents of deontological ethics argue that morally right actions are always intrinsically valuable, regardless of their consequences.
Other names for intrinsic value are terminal value, essential value, principle value, or ultimate importance.