Jump to content

User:Phlsph7/Value theory - Definition

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Definition

[edit]

Value theory is the systematic study of values. Also called axiology and theory of values, it is the branch of philosophy that examines which things are good and what it means for something to be good. It distinguishes different types of values and explores how they can be measured and compared. It also studies whether values are a fundamental aspect of reality and how they affect phenomena such as emotion, desire, decision, and action.[1] Its topic is relevant to many human endeavors because values are guiding principles that underlie the political, economic, scientific, and personal spheres.[2] Value theory analyzes and evaluates phenomena such as well-being, utility, beauty, human life, knowledge, wisdom, freedom, love, and justice.[3]

The precise definition of value theory is disputed and some theorists rely on alternative characterizations. In a broad sense, value theory is a catch-all label that encompasses all philosophical disciplines studying evaluative or normative topics. According to this view, value theory is one of the main branches of philosophy and includes ethics, aesthetics, social philosophy, political philosophy, and philosophy of religion.[4] A similar broad characterization sees value theory as a multidisciplinary area of inquiry that covers research from fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, and economics in addition to philosophy.[5] In a narrow sense, value theory is a subdiscipline of ethics that is particularly relevant to the school of consequentialism since it determines how to assess the value of consequences.[6]

The word axiology has its origin in the ancient Greek terms ἄξιος (axios, meaning 'worth' or 'value') and λόγος (logos, meaning 'study' or 'theory of').[7] Even though the roots of value theory reach back to the ancient period, this area of thought was only conceived as a distinct discipline in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when the term axiology was coined.[8] The terms value theory and axiology are usually used as synonyms but some philosophers distinguish between them. According to one characterization, axiology is a subfield of value theory that limits itself to theories about what things are valuable and how valuable they are.[9][a] The term timology is an older and less common synonym.[11]

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Another view sees axiology as the wider field and restricts value theory to questions concerning the nature of value.[10]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^
  2. ^
  3. ^
  4. ^
  5. ^
  6. ^
  7. ^
  8. ^
  9. ^
  10. ^ Grenz, Guretzki & Nordling 2010, p. 18
  11. ^ Grünberg 2000, pp. 11–12

Sources

[edit]
  • Cowan, Steven B. (2020). "Introduction". In Cowan, Steven B. (ed.). Problems in Value Theory: An Introduction to Contemporary Debates. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-14740-9.
  • Hurka, Thomas (2006). "13. Value Theory". In Copp, David (ed.). The Oxford Handbook of Ethical Theory. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-514779-7.
  • Li, Deshun (2013). Value Theory: A Research into Subjectivity. Springer Science & Business Media. ISBN 978-3-642-25617-2.
  • Hiles, David R. (2008). "Axiology". In Given, Lisa M. (ed.). The SAGE Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1-4522-6589-6.
  • Hart, Samuel L. (1971). "Axiology - Theory of Values". Philosophy and Phenomenological Research. 32 (1). doi:10.2307/2105883.
  • Grünberg, Ludwig (2000). The Mystery of Values: Studies in Axiology. Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-420-0670-6.
  • Taliaferro, Charles (2010). A Dictionary of Philosophy of Religion. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978-1-4411-8504-4.
  • Grenz, Stanley J.; Guretzki, David; Nordling, Cherith Fee (2010). Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms. InterVarsity Press. ISBN 978-0-8308-6707-3.
  • Arneson, Pat (2009). "Axiology". In Littlejohn, Stephen W.; Foss, Karen A. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Communication Theory. SAGE Publications. ISBN 978-1-4129-5937-7.
  • Bahm, Archie J. (1993). Axiology: The Science of Values. Rodopi. ISBN 978-90-5183-519-9.
  • Orsi, Francesco (2015). Value Theory. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4725-2408-9.
  • Smith, Barry; Thomas, Alan (1998). "Axiology". Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780415249126-L120-1.
  • Schroeder, Mark (2021). "Value Theory". The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  • Steinert, Steffen (2023). Interdisciplinary Value Theory. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-031-10733-7.
  • Hirose, Iwao; Olson, Jonas (2015). "Introduction to Value Theory". In Hirose, Iwao; Olson, Jonas (eds.). The Oxford Handbook of Value Theory. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-022143-0.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Phlsph7/Value_theory_-_Definition&oldid=1242586438"