Ominaisarvoa

Ominaisarvoa, or intrinsic value, is a term used in philosophy and related disciplines to refer to the value something has in itself, independent of its usefulness or the consequences it may produce for others. It is commonly contrasted with instrumental value, which is the value something has because it serves a purpose for someone, and with extrinsic value, which depends on external factors.

In ethics and aesthetics, intrinsic value is the idea that certain things — for example a life, a species, a landscape, or a work of art — possess worth regardless of their utility to humans. Philosophers such as Kant have argued that rational beings have intrinsic worth as ends in themselves, not merely as means. Environmental ethics and debates about animal welfare frequently treat nature and animals as having intrinsic value, while some theories deny or limit such claims.

In economics and finance, the term intrinsic value is used in a more technical sense to denote the estimated fundamental value of an asset, based on expected future cash flows, dividends, and risk. This intrinsic value may differ from the market price, which is influenced by sentiment and supply and demand. Investors use intrinsic value as a guide for valuation and decision making, though the estimation involves assumptions and uncertainty.

The use of intrinsic value remains controversial: some argue that value is fundamentally relational or subjective, while others defend domain-specific intrinsic worth for beings, ecosystems, or cultural artifacts. The concept continues to play a central role in ethics, environmental policy, and financial analysis in Finnish discussion and international discourse.