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of impacts with instrumental values and cites earlier work by Selwood (2002) in
which she likewise contrasts impacts with intrinsic value (Holden 2004, 14). In
either interpretation, ‘impacts’ can be positive or negative, thereby sidestepping
the problem with ‘benefits’.
Intrinsic
This is perhaps the most contested term in the literature reviewed here. It is
discussed variously as ‘intrinsic value’ (Holden), ‘intrinsic benefits’ (McCarthy et
al) and ‘intrinsic impact (Brown). Holden uses ‘intrinsic’ in a very narrow sense,
referring to the value that a cultural experience has as an experience. If the experience
gives rise to some other value, such as a sense of well-being, he considers this
a separate outcome. Well-being for Holden is an economic (and thus instrumental)
value.
The definition employed by McCarthy and his colleagues is far broader. Indeed,
the RAND framework emphasises the fact that intrinsic benefits can accrue for
the individuals experiencing a work of art as well as for society at large (ie, for
people who do not experience the cultural object personally). For example, the
arts can communicate the sentiments of a particular community, and members of
that community can benefit from the fact that their voice was heard, whether or
not they where there to witness it.
Brown’s use of ‘intrinsic’ falls somewhere in between the narrow view held by
Holden and the broader interpretation suggested by McCarthy et al. ‘Intrinsic
impacts’ are by definition only received by individuals who experience art directly.
Beyond that, ‘intrinsic’ is defined temporally, in that the impact must be received
during or in close temporal proximity to the experience itself.
Given the diversity of meanings and the fact that the term evokes the heated
debates over ‘intrinsic’ and ‘instrumental’ arguments for arts and culture, the term
is of questionable value at this point. It is likely to stir up controversy without
bringing much clarity to the subject matter. It may be best to stop using the term.
Several alternatives (eg, ‘inherent’, ‘immediate’) have less connotative ‘baggage’
and provide opportunities to etch clear definitions on blank slates.
Value
Value is a deeply fraught term but appears to be unavoidable. All of the authors
considered here agree that value is not inherent in objects or events, but is attributed
to them by the beholder (though this is subject to debate in philosophical
circles: Holbrook 1999, 5). In relation to arts and culture, this understand-
Framing the Conversation 55
UNDERSTANDING the value and impacts of cultural experiences