“Philosophers distinguish between intrinsic and instrumental goals. An instrumental goal is one pursued of the sake of some other goal. An intrinsic goal, in contrast, is one pursued for its own sake.”
—from Why? The Purpose of the Universe, by Philip Goff (2023)
I suppose driving my car is an instrumental goal
Because I’m not driving merely for the sake of driving,
But rather driving to achieve some other goal,
Such as a second trip to the supermarket that day
To buy more Rocky Road ice cream.
But I’ve found this philosophy podcast
That I can listen to while driving,
Which seems to convert driving into an intrinsic goal.
This is a total win-win if I can learn philosophy
While at the same time driving for and then eating ice cream.
And now that I think about it, the difference
Between the instrumental and the intrinsic
Is all in how you think about it.
If you can make the journey the destination
Then I guess you don’t need a destination, right?
But then is there any point in writing something?
Or is the act of writing really the point?
Alas, this philosophy stuff is exhausting,
And after a while I need to put it down
And have some ice cream,
Or just go for a silent drive down some country road,
The fallen yellow leaves swirling in my wake.
6 Responses
Coddiwomple on!
Didn’t believe this was a real word, but yes!:
Coddiwomple (v.) To travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination
e.g., “Lets coddiwomple over to the River or market.”
ok Kevin, I get it. Your excuse is the instrumental. Your intrinsic may become an instrumental for another excuse which becomes intrinsic!
it’s all philosophy 😂
It is all philosophy, Maxime, but I’m trying to be philosophical about being a B- philosophy student… More ice cream!
Hi, Late reply, sorry (buried
Thanks for the readership and your comment, Gigi, much appreciated. I think I get the point that it’s not what you said, but what you didn’t say…