Sociology, Morals and Mystery: The Chichele Lectures Delivered in Oxford under the auspices of All Souls College, 1970

## Morals and Manners 3 Contribution of Economics 4 Is There a Social Science? of the interconnection, as I conceive it, of the different subjects named, their relation to each other may not at first be obvious. My background thought was the great importance of social study in this phase of our history -one might almost say, supreme importance. It must not be inferred that I regard sociology as a suitable subject for instruction at universities. In its present phase it is very amorphous, and for university study one requires subjects that are sufficiently mature for them to be good instruments in training the thinking power of students. Although fundamental physics is, I believe, at present progressing rather slowly, we have rapid progress in many branches of physical science, and even more rapid progress in the technologies concerned with material objects. One may even think that in the not too far distant future the progress of technology may be so great as to enable man to provide himself with all his more important physical needs. This is, perhaps, subject to the population explosion not presenting too severe a problem. It is not so evident that we are making progress in our understanding of social relations. Some even think that we are slipping backward, not only relatively to the problems confronting us, which are becoming more complex, but absolutely. The problems are many and various. One group of problems that has gained special attention recently is that concerned with urban renewal in areas fairly near the centres of American cities-the downgrading of certain areas into slums, de-housing on a large scale, the lack of a decent community spirit in neighbourhoods, and racial tensions. At the other end of the world, one may think of problems in some less developed countries, where the organisation of life needed to implement material progress may not be consistent with well-established tribal habits. These old habits, which may look rather obsolete to those SOCIOLOGY, MORALS AND MYSTERY one gets to a university, the instruction given should make one 'creative'. That is something different. Of course, undergraduates can be, and often are, 'creative'. I would think that the most important area in which undergraduates display creativeness is in making good jokes. That is not derogatory. A sense of humour is surely one of the highest qualities of civilised man. But I am now doing less than justice to the very creative group of undergraduates with whom it was my good fortune to mingle at New College in 1919-22. They did make very good jokes, but their creativity covered a much wider field. It consisted in their style of speaking and in the nature of their comments on friends, college episodes, current events, books, plays, political characters and even characters of the past. I think of figures like Stephen Tomlin, Front Matter....Pages i-v Introduction....Pages 1-12 Mystery....Pages 13-39 Morals and Manners....Pages 40-63 Contribution of Economics....Pages 64-89 Is There a Social Science?....Pages 90-115