468 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY
is or with what ought to be ? Dietzel's distinction between theoretical and practical economic science is made on the basis of a sharp division between these.
But social technology deals with both : with what exists as a revelation of what ought to be, and of the method of realiz- ing what ought to be. Much of what ought to be is already, as fact ; and, at a given moment, most of what ought to be, in rela- tion to the situation. But in the heart of what is there is a sug- gestion of a better, and a movement toward it; both ends and means being suggested by experience. Social technology deals with this movement, this becoming its end and way in concrete situations.
II. DIVISIONS OF PRACTICAL SOCIOLOGY.
Within the task of practical social science we may distin- guish three problems for systematic treatment : ( I ) the problem of values, (2) the problem of criticism, and (3) the problem of means. For the first problem we may use the data of ethical science and philosophy, but not without consideration of empiri- cal conditions. The valuation of the ideas of morality is a problem of ethics, aided by psychology. For general sociol- ogy the data of ethics and psychology are ultimate elements. But as soon as the valuation includes concrete conditions, exter- nal relations of persons to nature and to each other, laws,
A. W. Small distinguishes social telics and social technology. K. Menger calls this practical procedure of social science a doctrine of social art {Kunstlehre}, but (p. 131) he makes "eine praktische Wissenschaft " synonymous with " eine Kunstlehre." A WAGNER (p. c., p. 145) declares that practical social science is science, and not art alone, so long as it aims at knowledge. " Kurz gesagt, handelt es sich also bei den theoretischen Wissenschaften um Erlangung eines Wissens zum Kennen, bei den praktischen um Erlangung eines solchen zum Konnen, aber eben um Erlangung eines Wissens um des Wissens Willen doch bei beiden. Auch die letzteren diirfen daher den Namen von ' Wissenschaften ' beanspruchen." WUNDT, Methodenlehre, Vol. II, p. 532, admits practical social science, as a systematic application of the data of theoretical sciences to the satisfactions of needs ; his unnecessary limitation of tech- nology to " politics " does not affect the issue.
In DR. C. D. WRIGHT'S Practical Sociology the definition is given of the title: "Any treatment of the subject would be practical which dealt with things as they are." But theoretical social science deals with things as they are, and practical social sci- ence, according to the authors quoted above, deals with things as they are, but with a purpose of introducing also what ought to be and is not yet, or only imperfectly, realized.
