ABSTRACT
There is much confusion surrounding the notion of leisure; not merely as to what it is but also as to the nature of its worth or value. Not only are there terminological confusions which arise from inconsistent usage of notions like ‘intrinsic’, ‘inherent’, ‘extrinsic’, ‘instrumental’ and ‘external’ but there is a general tension in philosophical discussions surrounding the objectivity of value. It is in no way claimed that this chapter establishes anything especially fundamental vis à vis the objectivity or subjectivity of values. What is attempted is a consideration of value arguments and the language in which they are often couched. A position, termed ‘relational value and valuing’, is articulated which attempts to reconcile the subjective processes of intrinsic and instrumental valuing, and the non-subjective status of the value of leisure practices.2 The more modest aim is, therefore, to provide a framework in which objectivist and subjectivist accounts of the value of leisure practices may be contested.
