I‘m writing a book chapter in which I’m trying to capture a particular idea about the different ways an outcome might be ‘important’.
Here’s what I’m trying to say: the identity of who wins a soccer game, or who wins the lottery, is ’important’ or ‘valuable’ in the sense that lots of people will be happy or unhappy depending on its outcome. But the identity of these winners is not ‘important’ or ‘valuable’ insofar as, for the world in the abstract, nothing hangs in the balance: the world will not be much better or worse overall if one team or another wins, or if one lottery participant or another wins.
By comparison, the question of who gets to pass their exams to be a heart surgeon, or who gets to win an election to be the representative of some city or neighborhood, is important/valuable both in the sense that individuals really hope they succeed when they participate in these contests, but it is *also* important/valuable in the sense that the world will be made better or worse depending on who succeeds. Incompetent students becoming heart surgeons is a problem for the world; a candidate who can make a positive difference winning an election is good for the world.
Is there a word of phrase that helps to differentiate between these two senses of importance/value? Have philosophers made this distinction anywhere?
Thanks for your help!