Means and ends crucial considerations a science, philosophy. If someone or something ends up somewhere, they eventually arrive there, usually by. End definition is the part of an area that lies at the boundary. Of or relating both to the means of achieving a result and to the result itself, considered in relation to each other. View american english definition of a means to an end change your default dictionary to american english. A means to an end meaning in the cambridge english. When people are asked what they value, answers will include things like happiness, freedom, fairness, friendship, biodiversity, truth, pizza, equality, medicine, loyalty, and many other things.
This slang page is designed to explain what the meaning of ends is. Ends are the objectives or desired outcomes of a given strategy. A list of slang words and phrases, idioms, jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations. Formation of recombinant cloning vector using cohesive ends. Means to an end refers to an action or choice that indirectly effects a desired end result. Definition of a means to an end in the idioms dictionary. Definition and synonyms of a means to an end from the online english dictionary from macmillan education this is the british english definition of a means to an end. If you say that something is a means to an end, you mean that it helps you to achieve. Working out how to adapt means to ends is one characteristic function of reason.
On such an account, questions of ends are not subject to reason, but are nonrational matters of emotion or desire. A good result is worth a bad way of achieving those results. Ends is listed in the worlds largest and most authoritative dictionary database of abbreviations and acronyms the free dictionary. Synonyms for end at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. In a perfect world, there would be a perfect congruence between ends and means. Ends are a function of actions by the enemy, by allies, by neutrals, and by internal factors e fe,a,n,i. Odds and ends definition, miscellaneous items, matters, etc. A basic definition of economics which states economics as a science that understands human choices and responses to the limited resources ends human needs means available resources suppose you have rs. Cohesive ends definition of cohesive ends by medical. A means to an end meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. On the other hand, if we value something terminallyintrinsically, an increase of it is. A means to an end definition is something done only to produce a desired result.
Means are the methods used to accomplish something. Meansends analysis article about meansends analysis by. Higherlevel goals or ends are linked to lowerlevel goals, which serve as the means for their accomplishment. It basically means that when youre trying to achieve some sort of goal, you need to decide which is more important. It is used when something you are doing work is not as important to you as what you hope to achieve by doing it in this case, probably money. People will sometimes say this phrase in a question, do the ends justify the means. Human beings should be treated as ends and not as means. To say that corrupt means corrupt the ends is to believe in the immaculate conception of ends and principles. A means to an end definition of a means to an end by.
Economics as a science is the study of the relationship between unlimited wants and scarce means and the ways to attain these means. Ends and means what are your goals in life, what is it that you care about. Human beings should be treated as ends and not as means act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end. A means to an end definition in the cambridge english.
Valuing x only instrumentally means that there are logically possible situations where an increase in x is, all else being equal, not something we care about. Ends definition, the last part or extremity, lengthwise, of anything that is longer than it is wide or broad. End and means are compared or contrasted in several proverbial sayings, for example the end justifies the means see end and he who wills the end wills the means. A means to an end definition of a means to an end by merriam. The scope of legitimate ends for the purpose of substantive due process has been held identical to the public use requirement of traditional takings analysis, 9 and the supreme court has not indicated that the ends in an agins meansends analysis are any different from the. The flaw in lykkes equation, or at least its application, is the assumption that ends, way, and means are constants. If you say something was a means to an end, it means it was what was necessary to do to achieve the goal. Looking for online definition of ends or what ends stands for. To make sure that the way you go about achieving the goal the means is the most honest and least hurtful way possible. Learn the definition of meansends chain thedefinition. If, for example, one wished to drive from new york to boston in the minimum time possible, then. A means to an end phrase definition and synonyms macmillan. A means to an end definition and meaning collins english. I then realized his friendship was completely fake and nothing more than.
A related expression is the ends justify the means. Whoever says this does not really enjoy their job in itself, it is a job they are just doing to earn some money. The main character in a movie who wants to avenge a murdered loved one might go on a killing rampage to get at the murderer, and you might say that for her, the ends justified the means. When we apply this process to a particular set of ends and means, the productthat is, the strate. How you do something is more important than what you achieve if you say the means are more important than the ends. End up definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Shes got all kinds of interesting odds and ends on her desk. With meansends analysis you compare your current situation and the situation you want to arrive at, identify the most significant difference between those two situations, and then create a sub. Weber in particular places meansends rationality in the center of a fourpart typology of action endsrational, valuerational, affectual, and traditional action. Politics is about ends and meansabout the values that we pursue and the methods by which we pursue them. Ive got a few odds and ends small jobs to do before leaving. This is the difference between means and ends, or between instrumental values and terminal values. Unlike some tools and methodologies which fall into and out of favor, the meansend chain mec is a classic model, and one that has grown in popularity and. If you say something was a means to an end, it means it.
The question is, said alice, whether you can make words mean so many different things lewis carroll. Definition of means to an end in the idioms dictionary. I didnt particularly like the job it was just a means to an end. Prepared by classical national economics with its figure of the homo oeconomicus following the pattern of ends and means a. The controversial claim, associated with hume and weber, is that such instrumental or technical rationality exhausts the place of reason in practical affairs. In meansends analysis, the problem solver begins by envisioning the end, or ultimate goal, and then determines the best strategy for attaining the goal in his current situation.
This phrase is used when the end result justifies whatever action was used to get there. Means and ends are the bases on which the whole science of economics is built. Consequentialism is the class of normative ethical theories holding that the consequences of ones conduct are the ultimate basis for any judgment about the rightness or wrongness of that conduct, i. A means to an end definition and meaning collins english dictionary. Although means end chain thinking has been around for quite some time, it began to receive elevated attention and application in academic journals in the 1980s, with significant contributions by olson, reynolds, and gutman. The means refers to the methods by which one achieves a goal. Its time to end the tyranny of ends, ways, and means. Most people attribute this quote to niccolo machiavelli. Ends and means an enquiry into the nature of ideals and into the methods employed for their realization is a book of essays written by aldous huxley.