PREFACE 



The writer is not really clear about the etiquette of thank- 

 ing the President of the United States. But certainly the pres- 

 ence of Mr. Eisenhower at the Symposium banquet and the 

 wise and understanding things he said in his speech gave the 

 scientific fraternity of this country a feeling of great lift and 

 encouragement and a deep satisfaction that our President would 

 in this way emphasize the importance of the most scholarly 

 aspects of science. 



The Committee had planned on an attendance of 250 

 for the sessions on the first two days. Against the firm advice 

 of certain friends whose principal experience had been with 

 other types of conventions, we set the opening session to start 

 at 9:15 a.m. sharp. On Thursday morning at precisely 9:15 

 there were a few more than 250 persons in the seats. Having 

 planned on 100 for the final closed session of discussion, the 

 actual number in the seats, not counting the chairman, was 99. 

 Certainly the participants all responded nobly. 



It may be useful to make a final comment about the scope 

 of this Symposium. At one juncture in discussing the essential 

 aims of basic research, the writer referred to basic research as 

 "the never-ending search for better understanding of man him- 

 self and of the total world, animate and inanimate, in which he 

 lives." As a result, several stirring communications have been 

 received which in effect say, "Man's understanding of himself! 

 Why did the Symposium not include a proper emphasis on the 

 social — or more particularly, the behavioral — sciences? You 

 speak of basic research and seem to assume that this phrase is 

 restricted to the quantitative and analytical natural sciences! 

 Why do you not include, in addition to the social sciences, the 

 humanities, the fine arts, and the philosophical and moral na- 

 ture of man?" 



With respect to the behavioral, or even more generally the 

 social, sciences it can, I think, be soundly argued that the Sym- 



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