What are the political, social, and moral obligations of a social scientist? How sure, for example, must a peace researcher be before advocating a particular policy? When does he or she pass over the line from the faithful searcher after truth to the possibly erring committed citizen? Questions worth exploring.

The government official is at one extreme on a continuum running from social theory to social action. The official's responsibility is to act, and in a modern industrial society the acts of a senior official can have enormous impact on the lives, the liberties, and the happiness off citizens. The official knows this and the citizens know it.