Abstract

Lest one be misled by the title, this book is not a study of the social responsibilities of scientists. It is a careful, provocative argument that the formal structures of scientific theory and ethical theory are analogous. The most interesting and far-reaching analogy developed by Dr. Margenau is between the fundamental postulates of theoretical science and the primary values of ethics. The author argues that primary values cannot be derived from something else, but must be postulated. He further sees an empirical relationship between these values and ethical imperatives, which provides the key to the possibility of validating ethical theories.—R. J. W.