Related Ideas

Review these ideas and then use the BACK key in your browser to return to the page you were on.

The contrast between the views of John and Fred represents an old debate. How do we explain the condition of a group of people?

• Stress the conditions in which the group lives, often with special emphasis on conditions over which the group has no control, or

• Stress the attitudes, values, beliefs, and habits of the group

How do we decide between these two approaches? If each approach is better in certain cases, how do we choose? In which cases should we stress "conditions" and in which cases should we stress "attitudes"?

We should also notice that there are two different questions at issue between John and Fred.

• What explains the condition of the poor black population in the U.S.?

• What is the most effective way to change the condition of the poor black population? We could rephrase this as "What is the best point of intervention for changing the condition of the poor black population?"

These questions are related, but distinct. The explanation of a group's condition does not necessarily tell us the best point of intervention (although it may help us to find that point).