He
needs to be made conscious of consequences as a justification of
the positive or negative value of certain objects. Or the state
of things may be normal enough, and yet an individual not be
moved by some matter because he does not grasp how his attainment
of some intrinsic good depends upon active concern with what is
presented. In such cases, it is obviously the part of wisdom to
establish consciousness of connection. In general what is
desirable is that a topic be presented in such a way that it
either have an immediate value, and require no justification, or
else be perceived to be a means of achieving something of
intrinsic value. An instrumental value then has the intrinsic
value of being a means to an end. It may be questioned whether
some of the present pedagogical interest in the matter of values
of studies is not either excessive or else too narrow. Sometimes
it appears to be a labored effort to furnish an apologetic for
topics which no longer operate to any purpose, direct or
indirect, in the lives of pupils. At other times, the reaction
against useless lumber seems to have gone to the extent of
supposing that no subject or topic should be taught unless some
quite definite future utility can be pointed out by those making
the course of study or by the pupil himself, unmindful of the
fact that life is its own excuse for being; and that definite
utilities which can be pointed out are themselves justified only
because they increase the experienced content of life itself.
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