Yale Proposes to Study Man - The Human Welfare Group

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aria

A Yale University preservation and bibliographic microform record presents “Yale Proposes to Study Man,” describing how major problems of human life remain unresolved despite advances in physical sciences. It argues that mental illness, crime, poverty, and family or international conflict persist, and that panaceas are no longer expected. The text explains that research should correlate university and community interests, using biology and sociology together to develop a more intelligent understanding and management of physical, mental, and social behavior through the Human Welfare Group.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

The Major Problems of Life Are Unsolved

Yale Makes a New Approach

An Association of Existing Activities

97-84145-3Yale University Yale proposes to studyman New Haven 1929 # COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARIESPRESERVATION DIVISION BIBLIOGRAPHIC MICROFORM TARGET ORIGINAL MATERIAL AS FILMED-EXISTING BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD RESTRICTIONS ON USE: Roproductions may not be made without permision from Columbia University Libraries. # TECHNICAL MICROFORM DATA FILM SIZE: 35mn BEDUCTION RATIO: 9:1 IIB DATE FILMED: 8-1-97INITIALS: B 23799 ## TRACKING\#: ① FILMED BY PRESERVATION RESOURCES,BETHLEHEM,PA. B9 # YALE PROPOSES TOSTUDY MAN 308 Z 36×239 # INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RELATIONS In this view from Davenport Avenue and Oak Street the sectionto be devoted to child development work is seen in the fore-ground.The tower,constituting the architectural center of theHuman Welfare Group,contains four stories of bookstacks,and at the top,the reading room. # YALEPROPOSES TOSTUDY MAN THE HUMAN WELFARE GROUPNEW HAVEN 么i m30..1.--9 J已 # Yale Proposes to Study Man I. THE MAJOR PROBLEMS OF LIFEARE UNSOLVED ALTHOUGH progress in the physicalsciences during the past fifty years hasbeen extraordinary,and man's ma-terial prosperity today is unpar-alleled in history,the major problems of hu-man life seem little nearer solution than theywere two thousand years ago.Mental disease,forinstance,is increasingly common.There is anupward trend of the suicide and homicide rates.Crime is more general than ever before.Povertyand unemployment are still accepted as necessaryevils.Failure is evident throughout the gamut ofhuman interrelationships:in the smallest unit,the family,divorce is spreading;in the largest,the struggles between nations witnessed in re-cent decades make the wars of the past seem in-significant by comparison. Sane men do not look for panaceas.Thedays of the magician and the“medicine man”are over.A certain measure of success,however, The Human Welfare Group has been granted those who can discover factsand make rational use of them.When yellowfever plagued the world a remedy was sought,not for all disease,but for yellow fever.Discov-ery was made of the insect that carries the germand infects man with it,and the carrier has beenas far as possible exterminated.Knowledge ofyellow fever is limited,for the mechanism of in-fection and immunity has never been fully ex-plained,but the application of such facts aboutthe disease as were ascertained has been sufficientalmost to wipe yellow fever from the westernworld. But even though all infectious and organicdiseases are ultimately controlled,and this doesnot at present seem likely,only one aspect ofhuman life will have been affected.Sir WilliamArbuthnot Lane recently expressed the opinionthat there may come a day when everybody willlive to the age of one hundred.“But,”he added,“I don't say they will enjoy it.”It is clear that thegreatest medical schools and medical centers wecan build will not hold the secret of human hap-piness.By the same token,progress in any otherone direction,such as psychology,sociology,oreconomics,has only limited possibilities.Thefact is that man is not a purely physical,a purely Yale Proposes to Study Man psychical,or a purely social being.He is a com-pound of all these,and it is logical to assumethat a further understanding of individual andsocial behavior entails recognition of this fact. II. # YALE MAKES A NEW APPROACH YALE has been working for a number ofyears toward a correlation of various uni-versity and community interests concerned withproblems of human conduct.The desire hasbeento make man himself,in all his relationships,thecenter of interest.Each ofthe coöperating mem-bers must contribute in its own way,but withthe ultimate objective a fuller knowledge andunderstanding of man. It is understandable that during the era whena great expansion of knowledge was takingplace in sociology and biology,in law and med-icine,each branch should l

FAQs

Why does the text claim major problems of human life remain unsolved?

It argues that even extraordinary progress in the physical sciences and unprecedented material prosperity do not bring people closer to solving core problems of human life.

What does the text say about relying on panaceas?

It states that “sane men do not look for panaceas,” and that the era of the magician or “medicine man” is over, emphasizing discovery of facts and rational use.

How does Yale propose to approach understanding human behavior?

It describes correlating university and community interests and breaking down barriers between related fields so biology and sociology work together to manage physical, mental, and social behavior more intelligently through the Human Welfare Group.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Aria