This paper seeks to identify the characteristic values implicit in contemporary actuarial
thought and practice. ‘Values’ is used here to mean fundamental concepts which we
use, largely intuitively, to guide our patterns of thought and behaviour. We consider to
what extent these values are characteristic simply because actuarial work attracts
individuals who already subscribe to them, and to what extent these values may be
inculcated by actuarial training. We then consider whether the characteristic values we
have identified are congruent with the changing values of wider society, and whether
they are likely to be conducive to the continuing success of the profession in the 21st
century
