When it comes to the way that we value ourselves as human beings, I believe that we’re fans of extrinsic valuation – although we ought to be bigger fans of intrinsic value as well*.
*And yes, I think this is also an economics question. There is ‘value’ involved.

The general summary:

• Extrinsic value is relative – in that a person, as a matter of my own self-interest, may be of no value to me at all. Which is the way that we sometimes relate (usually more than sometimes, if we’re honest).
• Intrinsic value is absolute – in that you, as a human being, are a mathematical impossibility. The combinations upon combinations upon infinite combinations of chance encounters that had to take place in order for each person to be here, as they are, make the likelihood of them non-existent. And yet, here they all are. Occasionally causing frustration in the workplace.

In pictures:

My favourite line:

“That number is not just larger than all of the particles in the universe – it is larger than all the particles in the Universe if each particle were itself a universe”

Rolling Alpha posts about finance, economics, and sometimes stuff that is only quite loosely related. Follow me on Twitter @RollingAlpha, or like my page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rollingalpha. Or both.