Thoughts on the differentiation between 'value' and 'worth.' I know that most people go to dictionaries at times like these, but I prefer to make up my own meanings and propagate those, based on my understanding and experience. Translation: This may not mean anything to anyone but me, but at the very least, we can call it a minor experiment of the 'private language' argument.
(Or not.)
My argument was framed something like this:
'Value' is a term that assigns a sort of commercial or measurable 'currency' to an object, an idea, etc. (Think: tv announcer, "This set, valued at over $100, can be YOURS for only $19.95... plus s&h, of course). Who 'valued' it at over $100? The creator, the distributor? But what are we willing to pay for it? That flipside, the 'value' from the consumer's perspective, is 'worth.'
There is of course wiggle room on these. In fact, I think 'worth' can also be somewhat assigned by the creator, but not in a hard estimation of dollar amount cost, etc. 'Worth' = what you are willing to give for the item. And that definition includes the work of the creator; he was willing to give X passage of time, energy, concentration, emotion, into the work that resulted. That is his 'assignment' of worth. The consumer then comes along and assigns his/her own subjective 'worth' to the item, what he/she is willing to give for the item. This obviously implies that worth cannot be absolute. I was willing to give my life to save that photo album from burning up in a house fire; it got tossed in a goodwill bin and put on the shelf for 25 cents... and when no one bought it, it ended up in a landfill. Thus my assignment of 'worth' does not equal yours.
Value is a denomination; it is a lower state of 'worth,' turned into abstract strokes called numbers, whether as cost in dollars or hours of labor exchanged for the item. Value is entirely abstract; those Dept 56 knicknacks that sell for hundreds of dollars thru Christmas eve, then get stuck on the 50%off rack the day after Christmas. Did their 'worth' suddenly change, or were they just 'devalued' due to circumstance? (Okay, okay... I know. They don't get discounted that much. But the same rule is applicable to Christmas trees, Easter Candy, and Halloween Costumes.)
Thoughts, anyone?
