Axiology: foundational principles and philosophical frameworks

Axiology has to do with the philosophical science of value. Usually, when we mention values we are referring to ethics. The two main types of value studied in axiology are ethics and aesthetics. Ethics focuses on what we perceive as right or wrong and aesthetics deals with what we view as beautiful in our eye sight. Since we are all different and place value on different things, studying axiology can be quite tricky. It is my understanding that the subject focuses mainly on how people determine the order of what they value as it applies to their everyday life. Dr. Robert S. Hartman is known to many as the founder of axiology. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, he wanted to find out the answer to the question, "What is good?" As a result, he developed a mathematical system that orders our moral decisions (http://www.cleardirection.com). This sounds fancy, but I believe it is another way of saying that Dr. Hartman developed his value system so that we can accurately measure our values using mathematics. This still seems a bit tricky since a value is something that is intangible. However, it is still used today, particularly in philosophy.

According to Dr. Hartman, there are three dimensions of value and we as individuals value things in one of these ways or a combination of the three ways. The three dimensions within the value system are: intrinsic value, extrinsic value and systemic value. Within the intrinsic dimension, the object or person is valued. We are in this dimension when we value people in our lives such as our spouses or children, or when we value objects such as our houses or cars. In the extrinsic dimension, value is placed not on an object, but instead on abstract properties such as a good student, a great student or a poor student. In the extrinsic dimension, things are judged and put into classes. In the systemic value dimension, how things should be is valued as opposed to how they really are. In this dimension, either the object is or isn't what it should be. There is no middle ground (http://www.valueinsights.com).

This entire topic still seems a bit too scientific which makes it even more confusing. There weren't any concrete or substantial peer reviewed articles to be found on axiology. The majority of the information comes from various websites on the subject. In fact, there is so little information that a new journal was started in 2008 called the Journal of Formal Axiology. Since this is the case, the focus will be directed to ethics and aesthetics. Again, both are difficult areas to tackle because they each mean something different to each person. What is ethical in one household may not be considered ethical in another. Ethics can also stretch across countries and different cultures. For instance, America does not practice female genital excision but many countries in Africa do and see nothing wrong or unethical with it. There are people in countries other than America who may paint their faces or wear mouth pieces that stretch their lips beyond what is considered attractive. To them, this is aesthetically pleasing but to an American it may be seen as disgusting or appalling.

How are things such as this measured mathematically? They are opinions and have no concrete value. Dr. Hartman developed the Hartman Value Profile (HVP) which is a two part series of eighteen questions each. The first part deals with questions pertaining to the world and the second part contains questions relating to the individual. The person taking the test must rank the questions in part one from best to worst with 1 being the best and 18 being the worst. In the second part, the questions are ranked from most agree to least agree. Supposedly, there is no right or wrong answer and the profile can be used to discover strengths and weaknesses as well as help a person choose a career path (http://www.hartmaninstitute.org).

After finding out the information that I did on this subject, I cannot say that I am wholly convinced on the concept of axiology. Dr. Hartman has shown us that the questions on his profile can be manipulated mathematically, but I still have trouble with the issue of the questions themselves. They were developed by Dr. Hartman so they are based on what he values and what his personal ethics are. Most of us would agree that some of the questions such as, "Torture a person in a concentration camp" or "Slavery" should be rank at the bottom. It is also common to expect that "a baby" and "a good meal" would be somewhere at the top of the heap. They claim there are not right or wrong answers, but there really are because those giving the test have to be expecting the test taker to score the test in a certain way. If not, for instance, if the person ranks "Slavery" as number one, then they will be judged as different from the norm.