It's easy to talk in terms of things having intrinsic value, and it often sounds as though philosophers take it for granted that this is a coherent concept. But it seems to me that "to be valuable/have value" can only be cashed out in terms of "being valued by someone." Is there anything in the literature on this subject? Has anyone given sense to the idea of "intrinsic value"?
It seems to be that jettisoning intrinsic value would have quite far reaching consequences in how we could reason axiologically. For example, instead of comparing states of affairs in terms of which is better than the other, simpliciter, one would always have to put in terms that answer the question "better for whom?" Whether someone's life was worth living could not be answered simply by noting whether there was a preponderance of pain or pleasure in their life, but by simply finding out if the person values their own life.