ABSTRACT
Beginning with a discussion rooted in the philosophy of science and mathematics, this chapter reflects Lewis's long-standing emphasis on the importance of the intellectual aspect of practice. He introduces a recurrent theme in his work—the use of analogic—as a tool to link past, present, and future, and to underscore a central point that “social work—as work—is intended to achieve change.” From the vantage point of science, Blenkner's division of function in the social work profession based on the intellectual inclinations of the practitioner is certainly a narrow view. She argued that scientific effort in social work stressed the logical and rational while the imaginative and committed are identified primarily with casework practice. In professional practice, knowledge is intended to have consequences, and this intention imparts to knowledge a value component. Two characteristics of social work classification processes appear to influence the reasoning about classification in professional work.
