Intrinsisches

Intrinsisches is a German term describing what belongs to something by its own nature and independent of external circumstances or relations. The word derives from Latin intrinsecus and is used across philosophy, science, psychology and everyday language to distinguish what is inherent from what depends on context.

In philosophy, intrinsic properties are those a thing possesses in itself, regardless of external conditions or relations to other objects. By contrast, extrinsic properties depend on context or surroundings—for example a body's position or velocity relative to a reference frame. The distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic properties informs debates in metaphysics, epistemology and the philosophy of science.

In ethics and value theory, intrinsic value denotes value that something has in itself, “for its own sake,” rather than as a means to another end. Debates concern which goods are intrinsically valuable (such as happiness, life, or beauty) versus those valued primarily for their consequences or instrumental use.

In psychology and education, intrinsic motivation refers to performing an activity for its own sake—driven by interest, curiosity or personal satisfaction—whereas extrinsic motivation relies on external rewards or pressures. This distinction influences approaches to learning, work design and behavior research.

In science and engineering, intrinsic properties are typically viewed as independent of measurement conditions, such as mass, density or chemical composition. Extrinsic properties depend on the environment or context, such as temperature, pressure, orientation or surface state. Some disciplines use the term to separate inherently existing traits from environment-dependent ones.

See also intrinsic value, intrinsic motivation, intrinsic properties.