Reframing Value as Inference: The Triadic Value Model for Meaning-centered Design

The dynamic process of value generation remains an undertheorized problem across disciplines. This study addresses this gap by proposing the Triadic Value Model (TVM), a theoretical framework for modeling this process. TVM integrates Bayesian inference with Peircean semiotics to conceptualize value generation as a triadic relation among Intrinsic Value (prior belief), Instrumental Value (evidence), and Semantic Value (posterior belief). The model further elucidates the drivers of value generation from three perspectives: (1) active inference as the computational mechanism guiding perception, decision-making, and action; (2) a Bayesian account of emotion as the subjective experience of the inference process that promotes meaning-making; and (3) sociocultural structures as the premises and constraints of inference. This framework marks a paradigm shift, reconceptualizing value from a static attribute to a dynamic inferential process. Consequently, it provides an integrative foundation for value theory across philosophy, psychology, and design, while offering computationally grounded guidelines for meaning-centered design.