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Full resolution (TIFF) - On this page / på denna sida - Appendices - 2. A Methodological Note on Facts and Valuations in Social Science - 4. The Points of View Adopted in This Book
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io62 An American Dilemma
broader application than this problem, and consequently cannot be completely restricted
to a uni-linear pro- and anti-Negro scale of valuations. They branch out into the whole
complex of economic, social, and political problems where the Negro has a stake in
contemporary American civilization. Valuations which can be observed in behavior and
opinions are not formed with respect to the Negro in abstraction, but to the Negro
in specific social relations. This difficulty is, however, somewhat relieved, as there
apparently is a high degree of correlation between the valuations along various scales.
(c) Valuations concern not only goals or “ends” in the treatment of the Negro, but
also the “means” of achieving these goals and the “by-effects” of the achievement.
(d) We cannot assume that the conflicts of valuation are raging only between individ-
uals and between groups. It is too significant to overlook that these conflicts are actually
housed within single individuals.* This makes both the observation of valuations and
the imputation of power to various valuations a most delicate problem.
(e) Partly because a single Individual may hold several logically Incompatible valua-
tions, a set of valuations is seldom systematized and made self-consistent.
(f) Another difficulty in extracting value premises arises out of the fact that they
are bound up with beliefs.** People’s beliefs represent not only their volitional attitudes
to social problems but also their incomplete and incorrect views as to the facts of social
reality. Beliefs may influence valuations, just as valuations influence beliefs. Because we
can get at only expressed opinions, which are themselves a much modified form of
complexes of beliefs and valuations, it is a complicated task to detect valuations. From
behavior and expressed opinions we must infer back to those complexes. From them
we must infer back to basic valuations. This latter step includes the speculation as to
what people’s valuations would be if they were juxtaposed with correct knowledge
instead of incorrect knowledge. The tracing out of a set of existing valuations, and a
determination of their relevance and significance, is—for this reason alone—a dif-
ficult undertaking.
(g) Aside from all this, the very multiplicity of relevant and significant sets of valua-
tions will, of course, raise great operational difficulties in research. The number of sets
of value premises applied will have to be reduced much by way of abstraction. As there
is a high correlation between valuations along different scales, some main composite axes
can be defined. On each axis not every point need be represented but only a few, so that
one can see what difference it makes in scientific approach and practical conclusions when
one moves to the one extreme or the other. But even after a reduction of the sets of
value premises to a few, the analysis will tend to be complicated.
5. The ^^Instrumental Norm.^^ With these complications and difficulties in view, it
becomes evident that to try to consider all the existing, relevant, and significant sets of
valuations with respect to the Negro problem, to relate them to relevant facts, and to
draw up various sets of practical programs is a task which cannot be accomplished within
the confines of present research resources. The ideal should, however, be held clearly
and uncompromisingly before our eyes as the goal for research.
In this situation we have seen fit to adopt the following solution: that one single set
of relevant and significant value fremises be selected for utilization in a freliminary
analysis and that other significant sets of value fremises be introduced at a later stage
• See the Introduction and Appendix i.
**
See Appendix Section 1
.
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