answer to an instrumental value

[keannu]

What does this "answer to" mean? "return or give back what is needed"?

go3mo-32
ex)Intrinsic values are those we uphold regardless of the benefits or costs. Patriotism, as a value, demands sacrifices and is sometimes advantageous as far as individual well-being is concerned. Nevertheless, hundreds of millions of people have died to defend their country throughout the course of history, because patriotism is an intrinsic value. In contrast, a value is instrumental when we support it because it is directly beneficial to us. Let us assume that a country is dedicated to economic growth and to this end emphasizes work, productivity, and investment. If decisions favorable to development only answer to an instrumental value of an economic nature, such as increased wealth, the country’s effort will decline as soon as the degree of wealth is attained. That is why the intrinsic values are indispensable for sustained development.

 

[Raymott]

What does this "answer to" mean? "return or give back what is needed"?

go3mo-32
ex)Intrinsic values are those we uphold regardless of the benefits or costs. Patriotism, as a value, demands sacrifices and is sometimes advantageous as far as individual well-being is concerned. Nevertheless, hundreds of millions of people have died to defend their country throughout the course of history, because patriotism is an intrinsic value. In contrast, a value is instrumental when we support it because it is directly beneficial to us. Let us assume that a country is dedicated to economic growth and to this end emphasizes work, productivity, and investment. If decisions favorable to development only answer to an instrumental value of an economic nature, such as increased wealth, the country’s effort will decline as soon as the degree of wealth is attained. That is why the intrinsic values are indispensable for sustained development.

Imagine if you had to make a “decision favourable to development”.
If the only question you asked was, “Will it increase wealth? and you made the decision on that basis, then your decision “only answers” to that one criterion. Other questions such as, “Will it make people happier?” are not asked, therefore your decision doesn’t “answer to” those questions or factors.

 

[keannu]

Thanks, but I meant the difference between "answer an instrumental value" and "answer to an instrumental value". Is the former simply solving math questions or something, while the latter for "responding or give results to"?

 

[Raymott]

Thanks, but I meant the difference between "answer an instrumental value" and "answer to an instrumental value". Is the former simply solving math questions or something, while the latter for "responding or give results to"?

My answer was an attempt to explain what "A answers to B" means. I don't know what you mean by "answer an instrumental value", so I can't tell you what the difference is between the meaning of your original question and this one.
(Perhaps you could forget about differences between various phrases with 'answers' in it, and read my reply again as an answer to what "one thing answers to another" means.)
Otherwise maybe someone else can have a go.

 

[5jj]

Otherwise maybe someone else can have a go.

Not a hope. You have already made more sense out of this than I could have done.