ABSTRACT
The crude definition of intrinsic properties is that they are the properties that concern how the object is ‘in itself ’. The extrinsic properties are the non-intrinsic properties – in other words, those properties that an object only has because of the way the rest of the world is. To illustrate, consider properties of mass and weight. An object has a certain mass, which remains constant as long as the object itself remains unchanged. Mass, then, is intrinsic. However, the weight of the object can vary even though the object itself remains unchanged. For instance, on Earth an object has one weight; in the depths of space it has no weight; when near Jupiter it has a radically increased weight. The object’s weight is dependent upon how close it is to other things – the object can remain the same (‘in itself ’), even though its weight changes. Hence, its weight is extrinsic.
