This book explains and advances formal axiology as originally developed by Robert S. Hartman. Formal axiology identifies the general patterns involved in (1) the meaning of "good" and other value concepts, in (2) what we value (value-objects), and in (3) how we value (valuations or evaluations). It explains the rational, practical, and affective aspects of evaluation and shows how to make value judgments more rationally and effectively. It distinguishes between intrinsic, extrinsic, and systemic values and evaluations, and discusses how and why they fall into a rational hierarchy of value. It demonstrates the intrinsic worth of unique conscious beings and develops an axiological ethics in the three value dimensions. It explores the search for a logical calculus of value and introduces applications of axiology in psychology, religion, aesthetics, and business. It is critical of Hartman's shortcomings but builds upon his strengths and extends his theory of values where incomplete.

Hartman's revolutionary book introduces formal orderly thinking into value theory. It identifies three basic kinds of value, intrinsic goods (e.g., people as ends in themselves), extrinsic goods (e.g., things and actions as means to ends), and systemic goods (conceptual values). All good things share a common formal or structural pattern: they fulfill the ideal standards or "concepts" that we apply to them. Thus, this theory is called "formal axiology." Some values are richer in good-making property-fulfillment than others, so some desirable things are better than others and form patterned hierarchies of value. How we value is just as important as what we value, and evaluations, like values, share structures or formal patterns, as this book demonstrates. Hartman locates all of this solidly within the framework of historical value theory, but he moves successfully and creatively beyond philosophical tradition and toward the creation of a new value science.

This book uses scientific validity measures to create empirical value science and a normative new science of axiological psychology by integrating cognitive psychology with Robert S. Hartman's formal theory of axiological science. It reveals a scientific way to identify and rank human values, achieving values appreciation, values clarification, and values measurement for the twenty first century.

Freedom to Live: The Robert Hartman Story: What am I here for in the world? Why do I work for this organization? What can this organization do to help me fulfill my meaning in the world? How can I help this organization help me fulfill my meaning in the world? In the course of answering these questions we are taken on a personal exploration of the systemic, extrinsic, and intrinsic dimensions of value as they apply to our individual lives. The purpose of this exercise is to help each of us in our search for meaning and in our endeavor to prioritize our values as we make decisions. Dr. Hartman also explores our spiritual nature by applying his thinking to the intrinsic realm in religion. Robert Hartman's vision was to give us the means to recognize and fulfill "the good" within each of us, thereby enriching our lives. By applying these principles on a broader scale, we may also enrich our world and make it a place of more "goodness" and peace. When the light of formal axiology is cast upon our world, the elements involved in making particular decisions are revealed with a kind of value clarity previously unknown. This Second Edition of Freedom to Live: The Robert Hartman Story includes many minor editorial improvements, a new and much expanded table of Contents, a much more detailed Index, and new photographs. Many thanks to Stacey McNutt for the new photos she contributed to this Second Edition--Numbers 1, 5, 6, and 11. Many thanks also to Rodopi, Amsterdam - New York, its original publisher, for returning the rights to this book to the Robert S. Hartman Institute.

With this volume, the editors Katharina Edtstadler, Sandra Folie, and Gianna Zocco propose an extension of the traditional conception of imagology as a theory and method for studying the cultural construction and literary representation of national, usually European characters. Consisting of an instructive introduction and 21 articles, the book relates this sub-field of comparative literature to contemporary political developments and enriches it with new interdisciplinary, transnational, intersectional, and intermedial perspectives. The contributions offer [1] a reconsideration and update of the field’s methods, genres, and theoretical frames; [2] trans-/post-national, migratory, and marginalized perspectives beyond the European nation-state; [3] insights into geopolitical dichotomies such as Orient/Occident; [4] intersectional approaches considering the entanglements of national images with notions of age, class, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity/race; [5] investigations of the role of national images in visual narratives and music.

The theory of value structure concerns the meaning of “better than” and “good,” as well as the way in which values serve as a basis for rational decision making. Drawing methodologically from economics and theories of decision making, the aim of serious axiology in metaethics is to do justice to problems that have puzzled philosophers of value for centuries. Can value comparisons be cyclic? Are all values comparable with each other and can decision makers just add up different aspects of an evaluation to determine the best course of action? A Theory of Value Structure: From Values to Decisions starts with a thorough introduction to the modeling of “better than” comparisons from a normative perspective. In the philosophical part of the book, Erich H. Rast argues that aspects of “better than” comparisons can differ qualitatively so much that one aspect may outrank another. Consequently, the classical weighted sum aggregation model fails. Values cannot always be summed up and comparisons may be fundamentally noncompensatory, an indeterminacy that explains problems like the apparent nontransitivity of “better than” and hard cases in decision making. Using a lexicographic method of value comparisons, Rast develops a multidimensional theory of “better than” and shows how and to which extent it can be combined with standard methods of decision making under uncertainty by using rank-dependent utility theory.

This encyclopedia, edited by the past editors and founder of the Journal of Business Ethics, is the only reference work dedicated entirely to business and professional ethics. Containing over 2000 entries, this multi-volume, major research reference work provides a broad-based disciplinary and interdisciplinary approach to all of the key topics in the field. The encyclopedia draws on three interdisciplinary and over-lapping fields: business ethics, professional ethics and applied ethics although the main focus is on business ethics. The breadth of scope of this work draws upon the expertise of human and social scientists, as well as that of professionals and scientists in varying fields. This work has come to fruition by making use of the expert academic input from the extraordinarily rich population of current and past editorial board members and section editors of and contributors to the Journal of Business Ethics.

The Heart of Wisdom explores the intersection of philosophy and spirituality. Though spirituality is a concept often viewed with skepticism by philosophers and others, spiritual concerns are prominent in many people’s lives, whether or not they ascribe to a religious creed. This book examines spiritual concepts like generosity, suffering, and joy, incorporating the various perspectives of great philosophers, including Nietzsche, Aristotle, and Derrida, as well as Eastern wisdom traditions, including Buddhism and Vedanta philosophy.

This book challenges the idea that the Rule of Law is still a universal European value given its relatively rapid deterioration in Hungary and Poland, and the apparent inability of the European institutions to adequately address the illiberalization of these Member States. The book begins from the general presumption that the Rule of Law, since its emergence, has been a universal European value, a political ideal and legal conception. It also acknowledges that the EU has been struggling in the area of value enforcement, even if the necessary mechanisms are available and, given an innovative outlook and more political commitment, could be successfully used. The authors appreciate the different approaches toward the Rule of Law, both as a concept and as a measurable indicator, and while addressing the core question of the volume, widely rely on them. Ultimately, the book provides a snapshot of how the Rule of Law ideal has been dismantled and offers a theory of the Rule of Law in illiberal constitutionalism. It discusses why voters keep illiberal populist leaders in power when they are undeniably acting contrary to the Rule of Law ideal. The book will be of interest to academics and researchers engaged with the foundational questions of constitutionalism. The structure and nature of the subject matter covered ensure that the book will be a useful addition for comparative and national constitutional law classes. It will also appeal to legal practitioners wondering about the boundaries of the Rule of Law.

Identity, power, and positionality play crucial roles in designing and implementing research critically and ethically across marginalized cultures and communities. Through four unique case studies, this book highlights the dilemmas faced by researchers in the field of education, demonstrating how they grapple with the ethics of research and with their role in the process. Re-searching Margins: Ethics, Social Justice and Education attends to research in four specific marginalized communities, whilst also engaging in a wider dialogue about the complex theories, methodologies and practices of ethical research in communities of difference. This book examines ethical research with cultures and communities as an exchange in which both the researcher and the researched bring complex contextual and biographical factors shaped by their histories, identities, and experiences. Drawing on the lives and research of four renowned scholars, this book will be of interest to researchers and policy makers in education who seek to engage ethically and justly with marginalized communities.