ABSTRACT
Much of the immediate data that a sociological study normally takes account of is in the domain of what philosophers still refer to as appearances: they contribute very little to the understanding of reality. As we have said in various connexions, to go beyond this and above all to try to grasp a hidden social potential seems to us to be one of the most urgent tasks. In our view, a new means of investigation should be used to its fullest extent to reveal this element of virtuality, which is usually concealed by appearances.
