"On our capacity to develop new forms of such understanding may well depend the survival of our civilization . . ." (SATA 1)

Taken out of context, this statement loses its punch. However, it is a highly relevant short phrase dealing with the fact that it is of the utmost urgency that we must come to terms with ourselves and understand not only our own culture, but also that of other countries. The project at hand when this was written was to gain an understanding of Soviet culture from a distance. With the Korean War raging in Asia and the Berlin airlift still a vivid memory, the urgency of the task was clear. And though the memories of the cited events have faded with time, Dr. Mead's phrasing is still relevant today as it was in 1951, when published. My perception of this phraseology is that it represents a social value.

"The dispassionate study of culture . . . is dependent upon a degree of detachment . . ." (KYPD 4)

Margaret Mead had some insight into the new epistemology when she wrote And Keep Your Powder Dry, since she qualified her efforts to the extent that she realized her perception of American culture was distorted by her own biases and values. Thus, I find this phrase of particular interest in its relationship to the study of general systems theory today since it parallels recent ideas that it is not possible to be a totally neutral observer in any scientific endeavor, particularly those requiring a degree of subjective judgment. Accordingly, this phrase was categorized as a scientific value.