Desirism Book - Part 0003 - Means, Ends, and Unintended Consequences

In my previous post in this series, I imagined one person (Alph) with one desire (to gather stones) alone in the universe.

Almost immediately, I had to supply Alph with a set of beliefs so that he could act on this desire. His desire to gather stones describes what he wants - he wants to be gathering stones. However, in order to do this, he needs to have a set of beliefs that will tell him where the stones are, how to transport them, and where he is gathering them at.

Today, I want to say something more about Alph and his one desire, to give a clearer understanding of what we are talking about.

For example, Alph's desire to gather stones should not be confused with a desire that the stones be gathered. These are two different and distinct desires. A desire to gather stones is a desire that the proposition, "I am gathering stones" is made or kept true. A desire that the stones be gathered is a desire that the proposition "The stones are all collected in one location" be made or kept true. "I am gathering stones" is not the same as "the stones are all collected in one location."

The state in which the stones are all collected in one location is an unintended effect of gathering the stones. The fact that something is an outcome of fulfilling a desire does not imply that it is wanted. In fact, it may be unwanted.

One of the potential consequences of having sex is that of catching a sexually transmitted disease. The relationship between catching a sexually transmitted disease and having sex is the same as the relationship between having a large pile of stones gathered together and gathering stones.

In fact, once Alph has created this large pile by gathering all of the stones, Alph has a problem. He can no longer make or keep the proposition, "I am gathering stones." true. It becomes false - and remains false. Alph, with his desire to gather stones, immediately has a reason to look around for a way to make the proposition, "I am gathering stones" true again.

One of the ways in which he can do this is by, now, scattering the stones.

Note here another way to see the difference between a desire to gather stones and a desire that the stones be gathered. For the person with a desire that the stones be gathered, once they are gathered, he would sit back in contentment. He has what he wants - all of the stones gathered together. However, the agent with a desire to gather stones is facing a problem - how to return to a state in which "I am gathering stones" is true.

One of the ways that Alph can do this is by scattering the stones again. He can plant a large explosive charge in the middle of his pile of stones, hide behind a wall, and scatter the stones all over the valley again. Now, once again, he can make true the proposition, "I am gathering stones."

Or, if he lacks explosives or some other way to scatter the stones quickly, he can scatter the stones in the same manner he gathered them - carrying them away from the gathering spot and tossing them around the valley. Once done, he can once again fulfill his desire to be gathering stones.

In this case, scattering the stones is work. It is a task that allows us to bring up the distinction between "instrumental good" and "good in itself."

Here, I am introducing value-laden terms. Over the course of these postings, I hope to show that these definitions capture substantially the way that the terms are actually used - at least when they are used in true propositions. As I continue these postings, I will use the phrase "good in itself" simply to refer to realizing the proposition P for an agent with a desire that P. Similarly, I will only be using the term "instrumental good" to refer to something which itself is not P but which has the power to bring about or realize P for agents with a desire that P.

For Alph, the only thing that is "good in itself" is gathering stones. Having a large pile of stones is not good in itself - it is not good in any sense at all. It is just a consequence of gathering stones. Scattering stones, also, is not good in itself. It's work. It is a chore that one must do - even though one may wish not to be doing so - in order to get back to a state in which one is gathering stones.

That is to say, scattering stones has instrumental value. It has no value for its own sake. However, it does have the ability to create a state in which Alph can once again realize the proposition, "I am gathering stones".

We have here, then, a distinction between means, ends, and unintended consequence - all related to Alph's desire to be gathering stones. A "means" is something not desired for its own sake but which can help to realize a state in which there is something valued for its own sake. An "end" is that which is valued for its own sake. And an unintended consequence is something that results from realizing an end but which is not, itself, the object of a desire.