Intrinsic Value: Concept and Warrant (Cambridge Studies in Philosophy)

This book addresses some basic questions about intrinsic value: What is it? What has it? What justifies our beliefs about it? The author defends the existence of a plurality of intrinsic goods, the thesis of organic unities, the view that some goods are "higher" than others, and the view that intrinsic value can be explicated in terms of "fitting" emotional attitudes. The final three chapters explore the justification of our beliefs about intrinsic value, including coherence theories and the idea that some value beliefs are warranted on the basis of emotional experience. Professor Lemos also contends that some value beliefs enjoy "modest" a priori justification.