ABSTRACT
The task of achieving reasonable consensus on values is considered so conflict-ridden by some theorists that they have been inclined to dispute the whole idea of attaining a complete and soundly-based position on choices needed for policy development. In any sizable work with comparative connotations, cognizance and/or discussion of values or ideologies is a sine qua non. Just as welfare philosophy perceives society as a system with social values, so it is agreed that in order to guide policy, values must be defined through general consensus. Conflicts between proclaimed values and those actually incorporated into programs likewise beset personal social services. In a penetrating analysis, Marshall explains that welfare decisions are essentially altruistic, and they must draw on standards of value embodied in an autonomous ethical system which, though an intrinsic part of the contemporary civilization, is not the product either of the summation of individual preferences or of a hypothetical majority vote.
