The Science of Axiology

Natural science explains human behavior. Axiology explains and measures the thinking that forms the foundation for, and leads to, behavior.

The word 'axiology' is derived from two Greek roots 'axios' (worth or value) and 'logos' (logic or theory), and means the theory of value. Axiology is the science of how humans value and make value judgments.

To value is to think, to assign meaning and determine the richness of properties. These concepts are usually considered highly subjective and, therefore having meaning and understanding only to the individual who holds those values. The development of the formal science of axiology makes possible the objective measurement of value, how humans think, as accurate as a thermometer measuring heat.

The science of value originated with early Greek philosophers and culminated in the work of Dr. Robert S. Hartman. In a stroke of genius comparable to the discoveries of Galileo, Newton, and Einstein, he discovered the principles that order and structure value judgments.

From these principles, Dr. Robert Hartman developed the first major break through in the accurate measurement of the thought processes that influence human behavior. Using the science of Axiology, Dr. Hartman created a system for identifying an individual’s capacity for differentiating between “good” and “bad”, which provides a model for improving our capacity to make good decisions. His revolutionary accomplishment is changing our capacity to understand and accept ourselves and the people with whom we interact.

Dr. Hartman constructed a value mathematics that can be used to objectively measure our capacity to make good value decisions. The Hartman Value Profile instrument has been subjected to many decades of research and more than 20 scientific validation studies. This is the tool that is used to assess any individual's value structures. It consists of 2 sets of 18 axiological statements or phrases (words) that the subject is asked to rank order from "best" to "worst". Value mathematics is then applied to the rankings to provide numeric reference to the results.

Unlike all other assessments, this structure allows us to understand 'how' a person thinks and perceives, not what they think, but how they think. In other words, value science tells us what we pay attention to, what is important to us, and how our bias influences our decisions.