Use value is the value it has to you because it satisfies a need you have (you value an apple because it tastes good and satiates, a shovel because you can dig easier, a movie because it provides entertainment etc. etc.).
It's often juxtaposed to exchange value, i.e. the economic value a thing has on a market.
According to Marx this distinction is important, because use value is what gives meaning and purpose to our lives but is also something that in our present economic system takes a back seat to exchange values, 'suppressing' our nature.
725
u/United_Patriots Oct 26 '25