When Theias shot an arrow into the tree â or when a boar used its tusks to rend the tree's bark â Adonis was born from the tree. This myth fits both Adonis' nature as a vegetation god and his origins from the hot foreign desert lands where the myrrh tree grew.
intrinsic. adj. 1. of or relating to the essential nature of a thing; inherent. 2. (Anatomy) anatomy situated within or peculiar to a part: intrinsic muscles. [C15: from Late Latin intrinsecus from Latin, inwardly, from intrÄ within + secus alongside; related to sequÄ« to follow].
Instrumental and intrinsic value are technical labels for the two poles of an ancient dichotomy. People seem to reason differently about what they ought to do and what they are able to do. When people reason about ends, they apply the criterion intrinsic value. When they reason about means they apply the criterion instrumental value. Few question the existence of these two criteria, but their relative authority is in constant dispute. This article explains the meaning of and disputes about these