One problem is that human value might be inherently multidimensional. I think of it as the want/like/approve distinction. We seem to have separate mechanisms in our brains for 1) enjoying something in the moment, 2) wanting to do it before, and 3) approving of it afterward. It’s possible to want something without enjoying it (like a person with OCD wanting to close the door exactly ten times), enjoy something without wanting it (people have said that they’ve reached very enjoyable meditative states but feel zero motivation to reach them again), enjoy something without approving it (porn), approve something without enjoying it (exercise), and all other combinations. This is the reason why “revealed preference” doesn’t work: a person’s actions are dictated disproportionally by the “want” dimension, but a good theory of value should incorporate all three. If we optimize one over the others, the tails will come apart.
A nice toy example is video games, where people are attracted to them because of the graphics, then stay because of the gameplay, and then have a warm afterglow and want to discuss afterward because of the story. Which of the three should contribute the most to the “true” quality rating of a videogame—“want”, “like”, or “approve”? Is this question philosophically meaningful? Will more reflection solve it?
Assuming you mean something like “Can philosophy answer this question?” I think “Maybe, but we probably won’t know until we do a lot more philosophy.” To put it another way, I think it’s very plausible (but far from certain) that we can eventually answer questions like this one, given enough competent reflection, and I want to make sure we definitively find out before we make any irreversible choices based on what we think our values are.
One problem is that human value might be inherently multidimensional. I think of it as the want/like/approve distinction. We seem to have separate mechanisms in our brains for 1) enjoying something in the moment, 2) wanting to do it before, and 3) approving of it afterward. It’s possible to want something without enjoying it (like a person with OCD wanting to close the door exactly ten times), enjoy something without wanting it (people have said that they’ve reached very enjoyable meditative states but feel zero motivation to reach them again), enjoy something without approving it (porn), approve something without enjoying it (exercise), and all other combinations. This is the reason why “revealed preference” doesn’t work: a person’s actions are dictated disproportionally by the “want” dimension, but a good theory of value should incorporate all three. If we optimize one over the others, the tails will come apart.
A nice toy example is video games, where people are attracted to them because of the graphics, then stay because of the gameplay, and then have a warm afterglow and want to discuss afterward because of the story. Which of the three should contribute the most to the “true” quality rating of a videogame—“want”, “like”, or “approve”? Is this question philosophically meaningful? Will more reflection solve it?
Assuming you mean something like “Can philosophy answer this question?” I think “Maybe, but we probably won’t know until we do a lot more philosophy.” To put it another way, I think it’s very plausible (but far from certain) that we can eventually answer questions like this one, given enough competent reflection, and I want to make sure we definitively find out before we make any irreversible choices based on what we think our values are.