"Immanuel Kant urged us to respect the value of human beings by treating them always (at the same time) as ends in themselves and never (merely) as means to ends other than themselves. I contend it would probably be a good idea to have such approach universalized (as much as possible) and stated as an admonition to treat as many things in our lives as we can not just as means to other desired or valued ends, but as ends in themselves."
"Such instrumental choices are inherently risky, for they entail that we effectively renounce marrying for love or devoting our life's work to an endeared vocation in the hope that we will thus secure some external end, such as economic prosperity or social status. But these instrumental endeavors can always go wrong: the expected returns may well never obtain. Additionally, the fact that we do not intrinsically enjoy our job or our relationship is quite likely to negatively affect our chances of effectively getting the fruitful"
Respect the value of human beings by treating them as ends in themselves and not merely as means. Apply this principle broadly to personal choices so that relationships, careers, and activities are pursued for their own sake as much as possible. Choosing partners or professions for instrumental reasons—economic security, status, or predictable reliability—carries risks because expected returns may fail to materialize. Instrumental motives also undermine intrinsic enjoyment, which in turn reduces the likelihood of achieving durable relationships or fruitful careers. Prefer decisions grounded in intrinsic value and calling, since pursuing ends for their own sake is both more secure and more likely to succeed.
Read at Apaonline
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