The Science of Value

The father of modern value science, Robert S. Hartman, observed that we have made our world a paradox where, despite our extraordinary scientific and technological discoveries, we have gained little insight into how to find a sense of inner peace. Having experienced the moral confusion of Hitler's rise to power in prewar Germany, Hartman envisioned a science which could organize "good" as effectively as the Nazis organized "evil".

Dr. Hartman dedicated his life to the realization of this vision, and as the result of decades of research, created a new mathematical system which successfully orders the values of our everyday experiences. He realized that the primary difference between natural order and moral disorder lay in the mathematics which orders the natural world. His discovery brought to light the principles which order and structure not only our moral decisions, but all of our value judgments. The central structure of Axiology is Hartman's value mathematics. Value mathematics makes it possible to measure value as accurately as a thermometer measures heat.

Despite his untimely death in 1973, shortly after being nominated for the Nobel Prize for his contributions in value measurement, his work goes on. Application of Axiology on both the theoretical and the practical level are being pursued in the United States, Sweden, Germany and Mexico. In laying the foundation for value measurement, Dr. Hartman began a revolution in thinking that is just beginning to emerge.

Excitement about the potential benefits of Hartman's work has resulted in a wide range of studies designed to validate the axiological model and to explore it's applications. Significant research has been conducted using the Hartman's "Value Profile" instrument. Studies include:

A comparative analysis of the Hartman Value Profile and the MMPI was conducted by Leon Pomeroy Phd., Director of the Behavioral Medicine Unit at the VA Outpatient Clinic in Brooklyn, New York. Results showed that one hundred and twenty eight (128) HVP/MMPI item had a correlations of less than p < .05, and (75) had a correlation of better than p < .001. Wayne Carpenter of the Value Resource Group (a former student of Dr. Hartman's at Vanderbilt University), conducted extensive studies using a data base of over 40,000 people from executives to entry level workers. His study validated the HVP for content, construct concurrency and for EEOC requirements. The science of Axiology enables us to identify our internal valuing systems and their influence on our perceptions, decisions and actions. With the information and insights provided through the "Value Profile", objective studies can be conducted on performance strengths and development needs for individuals and organizations. Hartman's model opens the door to our understanding of the internal forces that most greatly impact our decisions and actions.