Valueneutrality

Valueneutrality is the principle of limiting normative judgments in analysis, reporting, or decision-making. It aims to separate facts from values, treating values as optional aims rather than conclusions. The idea has roots in positivist science and journalistic objectivity and is applied in fields from economics to public policy to reduce bias in interpretation and presentation.

Proponents argue that value-neutral approaches enhance transparency, reproducibility, and trust by emphasizing evidence and method over advocacy. In research, valueneutrality may involve preregistration, explicit methodology, and careful separation of descriptive findings from prescriptive recommendations. In journalism and policy analysis, it underpins efforts to present information without taking sides; in technology, it informs attempts to limit embedded normative assumptions in systems and data practices.

Critics contend that no inquiry is truly value-neutral. The choice of questions, data, methods, and even what counts as credible evidence are shaped by norms and power relations. Some scholars argue for value-sensitive or explicitly normative analyses that acknowledge and examine how values influence inquiry and application.

Practically, valueneutrality is treated as a guideline rather than an absolute rule: researchers disclose assumptions, separate descriptive analysis from normative conclusions, and present multiple perspectives where appropriate. The balance between neutrality and accountability remains debated across disciplines.