Some Important Distinctions: The Traditional Distinction Between Instrumental and Independent Actions

Abstract

A fact which, after a hard struggle, has now won universal acceptance among economists, is that virtually all actions are complementary, i.e. are judged as regards to their desirability, not as independent actions standing alone, but in conjunction with, or as components of, certain other actions.¹ These other actions are actions which the individual tends to take in the future, though they will also be bound up with actions which he has taken in the past.

In this paper, Black explores the distinction between instrumental and independent actions within the context of behavior as a set of complementary choices. He argues that the complementarity of a general form is almost always present when the individuals choice on the topic “a” depends on the choice he expects to make on the topic “b.” Expressed in this way, virtually all actions are instrumental in the sense that all actions are functionally interdependent. Having made the distinction, Black argues that instances of choices which are non-instrumental goods are so rare that they may well be disregarded.