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The Science of DecencyAuthor(s): Gregory Bateson

Source: Philosophy of Science, Vol. 10, No. 2 (Apr., 1943), pp. 140-142Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the Philosophy of Science Association

Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/184297 .

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DISCUSSION

THE SCIENCE OF DECENCY

Dr. Langmuir's criticism of the social sciences, in his Presidential Lecture to

the A.A.A.S., published in Scienceof January 1, 1943, contains lessons which we,social scientists, would do well to take to heart. His attack is based upon a

classification of phenomena into two great groups,- convergent, and diver-

gent, -and upon the notion that the ability to predict with certainty is the

cri:terionof valid scientific generalization. It is Dr. Langmuir's contention that,

owing to the occurrence of divergent phenomena in nature, the social sciences

can never predict natural events, because, e.g., some stray electrical discharge

may set off a thunderstorm which may affect the fate of nations. And that is

correct. The same criticism applies, however, to all scientific prediction. The

classical physicist can predict with what acceleration a cup would fall to the

floor, but he cannot predict that it will fall, unless he makes a psychological

prediction about human behavior,-he must predict that somebody will dropthe cup.

The point is that all scientific predictions and generalizations contain a Deo

volente clause, which excludes from the argument all matters not within the

bailiwick of the particular scientist who is making the prediction. The predic-tion of the physicist is thus saved from any disturbances due to social revolutions,while that of the social scientist is similarly protected from thunderbolts. This

does not in any way vitiate science-either social or physical.

The great positive lesson, however, which comes out of Dr. Langmuir's lectureis that we, in the social sciences, ought to study chiefly what he calls divergent

phenomena. Dr. Langmuir tells us that, in his science of physics, a greatreorientation of thought has come from the study of divergent phenomena-

especially from the study of the individual atoms and electrons. It appearseven as though two of the abstractions (position and velocity) which physicsinherited from the cultures of the late stone or early iron age might soon be

revised, since both cannot simultaneously be applied to single elementary

particles. This is progress, and it is being achieved by the study of divergent

phenomena.

Ourscience is only now beginning to abstract the great corner-stones for futuretheory, which shall play for us the part which length, mass, time, etc., have

played in the development of physics. But already some progress has been

achieved, due especially to the qualitative study of event systems (psychological

gestalten,primitive cultures, traumatic family constellations, systems of organi-zation and management, etc.), which are often unrepeatable and unpredictable,

but which show a very high degree of internal regularity. It is difficult, of course,to start thus from scratch, as no doubt it was prodigiously difficult to invent

length, mass, and time; and it is work for which we badly need the help of men

140

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DISCUSSION

like Dr. Langmuir, whose minds have been trained not only in intuition and

common sense, but also in fine and precise analytic procedures.There is also an urgency. Our enemies in this war are applying social science

on a large scale, for the first time in history. They have a planned economy;and they are using various sorts of applied psychology in their propaganda, and

they are doing this with quite sufficient success to make it essential that we use

our own social scientists, both for defense and attack.

Now, there is a curious feature in applied social science which occurs in no

other field. In the science which we apply, the scientist must make certain

verifiable assumptions about motives, emotions, apperceptive systems, etc.

But man, the subject of these assumptions, is himself educable. Thus it happens

that, if the applied social scientist is successful in his operations, he is therebynot merely using qualities already extant in the population,-he is also promotingthose qualities. The politician who assumes that people's behavior can be

satisfactorily summed up in terms of the profit motive , and who sways the

crowd by appeal to this motivation will ipso facto increase the extent to which

his people focus attention upon dollars and pounds. The cold Machiavellian

manipulator who despises his population and regards them as puppets will, if he

is successful, turn that population into despicable automata.

The problems of applied social science in a democracy are therefore very much

more difficult than those which our enemies face. They are contemptuous of

their own population (cf. Mein Kampf, passim) and they are willing to let

that population (and ours) sink to the level of puppets. Theycan

thereforeuse

a social science which predicates these characteristics, and such a social science

is comparatively easy to devise and apply. They have devised it and are apply-

ing it at a rate which quite seriously threatens our own well-being and survival.

We, I turst, are not willing to reduce our population to this level. We believe,

with Dr. Langmuir that in the end, decency, morality, spontaneity, initiative,

unselfishness, and a number of other rather imperfectly defined (but definable)

qualities are important ingredients of human nature, and we are not willing to

educate these ingredients out of our people. Rather, we believe that these

ingredients will help us to win the peace. Therefore, in our applied social

science, we have to assume these complex qualities in our population; we haveto work to promote them; and we have to do this at a time when the enemy is

busy applying a simpler, more cynical, and, for short term operations, more

effective brand of social science.

Let me repeat-we need the help which we could get from a few students

trained to think as physicists have been trained. The type of hypothesis which

I suggested above, largely on a priori (common sense and intuitive) grounds-that the applied social scientist, if successful, promotes the qualities upon which

he bases his operations-will at once call up in the minds of physicists certain

types of mathematical relationship. We need men who can think in terms of

such relationships, for which most of us lack the training. We were never

taught to think of equilibria or processes of change in terms of simultaneous

141

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142 DISCUSSION

differential equations, and we need workers who have had this training. Even

though we cannot at once give them measured quantities to substitute for the

symbols in the equations, we need men skilled in these ways of thought. We

need, not their counsels of despair, but their help.GREGORY BATESON

Council on Intercultural Relations

15 W. 77th St., New York City

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