ABSTRACT
The preceding chapter has shown that most policy issues are too complex to be solved simply by a scientific approach. The aims and content of any policy are largely subjective, that is statements on the feelings and motives of individuals as opposed to positivist statements that the universe appears and operates exactly how everyone perceives it. In this chapter it is argued that although the use of positivist thought can at best only partially explain the policy process let alone its content, this does not mean that it is impossible to rationally understand public policy. Subjective ideas may be described and classified and, if not firmly felt by everyone, are not impossible to understand. They are, moreover, established as will be shown below on the basis of rational thought.
