Claim. Every connected being possesses dual purposes — a purpose for the individual (maintaining its own existence and development) and a purpose for the whole (serving the existence and development of the larger being it is part of) — running from elementary particles up through galaxies, with humans existing for the sake of God.
Elaboration. Lee constructs a hierarchical purpose-system (A. What Is a Connected Being?). Elementary particles exist for forming atoms while maintaining themselves as particles; atoms exist for forming molecules while maintaining themselves; molecules for cells/matter; cells for tissues; the earth for the solar system; the solar system for the galaxy; the galaxy for the universe; the universe for humankind; humans for God.
Lee adds a crucial refinement: among the various purposes-for-the-whole, the highest is to exist for the sake of human beings. So every level of created being has two purposes-for-the-whole: a ‘Hyungsang purpose for the whole’ (being part of the next-higher physical being) and a ‘Sungsang purpose for the whole’ (ultimately serving humans). Electrons revolve around nuclei both to form atoms (Hyungsang) and to form things humans can have dominion over (Sungsang).
The claim ‘human beings are minute beings compared to the vast universe, but their value is greater than the totality of the whole universe’ is the load-bearing axiological thesis. It justifies the entire cosmos-for-humans teleology. Without it, the upward chain would terminate at the universe and humans would be incidental.
This dual-purpose ontology is doing simultaneous work: (1) grounding ecological responsibility (since each being has its own purpose for itself, it cannot be reduced to mere utility), (2) grounding human dominion (since the universe was made for humans), and (3) grounding theocentric ethics (since humans exist for God). It also undercuts pure-utilitarian instrumentalization of non-human beings — they have a purpose-for-the-individual that resists being treated as mere means. Critics will press on how ‘human value > universe value’ can be justified non-circularly.
See also. ut-individual-truth-being-vs-connected-being, ut-connected-being-six-directions, dual-purposes-dual-desires-dual-values