There’s a number of ways to interpret my question, and I kind of mean all of them:
If my stated and/or revealed preferences are that I don’t value joining the elite class very much, is that wrong in either an instrumental or terminal sense?
For people who do seem to value it a lot, either for themselves or their kids (e.g., parents obsessed with getting their kids into an elite university), is that wrong in either an instrumental or terminal sense?
By “either an instrumental or terminal sense” I mean is “joining the elite” (or should it be) an terminal value or just a instrumental value? If it’s just an instrumental value, is “joining the elite” actually a good way to achieve people’s terminal values?
Many many humans don’t really distinguish between terminal and instrumental values when making such decisions, and can’t really tell you WHY they desire such things for them or their children. I’d say that joining (or staying in, or moving up in) the elite class is a common desire that maps pretty easily to hunter/gatherer tribal status, and is very understandable as something one might desire as a default position.
For those who have explicit terminal goals, joining the elite can well be instrumental for many of them—it does ease a lot of activities, influence, and resource direction. But there are likely other instrumental paths to the same sort of influence and resource control, and agents will have to trade off where they think they can best focus.
There’s a number of ways to interpret my question, and I kind of mean all of them:
If my stated and/or revealed preferences are that I don’t value joining the elite class very much, is that wrong in either an instrumental or terminal sense?
For people who do seem to value it a lot, either for themselves or their kids (e.g., parents obsessed with getting their kids into an elite university), is that wrong in either an instrumental or terminal sense?
By “either an instrumental or terminal sense” I mean is “joining the elite” (or should it be) an terminal value or just a instrumental value? If it’s just an instrumental value, is “joining the elite” actually a good way to achieve people’s terminal values?
Many many humans don’t really distinguish between terminal and instrumental values when making such decisions, and can’t really tell you WHY they desire such things for them or their children. I’d say that joining (or staying in, or moving up in) the elite class is a common desire that maps pretty easily to hunter/gatherer tribal status, and is very understandable as something one might desire as a default position.
For those who have explicit terminal goals, joining the elite can well be instrumental for many of them—it does ease a lot of activities, influence, and resource direction. But there are likely other instrumental paths to the same sort of influence and resource control, and agents will have to trade off where they think they can best focus.