Practice without theory is blind, and
theory without practice is empty.

There is no human activity in which questions about values and ethical principles do not arise, including questions about justice, rights, duties, responsibilities, civil liberties, freedom, democracy, utilities, equity, equality, etc. Answers to these questions can have consequences, both positive and negative, on the policies and behaviour of our public institutions, including governments, unions, corporations, universities, law courts, hospitals, charities and community organizations. In turn, the choices about values in these institutions have an effect on individuals, families, nations, minorities, the environment, and other species. Values and ethical principles, however, also need to be carefully examined, since mistakes about them can have tragic results. Human history is littered with examples of choices about values and ethical principles that have had disastrous consequences, choices that have led to such disasters as slavery, the holocaust, and colonialism. It is therefore one of the most important exercises of a civilized society to deliberate about its public values, and make sure that decisions concerning those values are responsive to the voices of reason and humanity.

For this reason, values and their applications in scientific, technological, social and political life need critical examination and discussion that require both expertise and practical experience. The examination and discussion of values would benefit from the clarity and rigor that can be provided by philosophers, while moral, social, economic, legal, and political theorists can help to articulate the broader theories on the basis of which public values are constructed and reformed. Also important is the practical knowledge of values that has been acquired more directly by practitioners and policy makers, for example, in government, health care, business, social services, development and the legal system. This first-hand understanding of the way that institutions make decisions about values in adopting and implementing policies with value implications is no less important for these decisions than the factual knowledge of specialists in law, medicine, economics, business, journalism, sociology, anthropology, psychology, political science, public administration, and history. Moreover, fact and value are intimately intertwined. There can be no sensible discussion of values without being informed about relevant facts. Hence, the knowledge of those involved in empirical research, the theoretician, the practitioner, and the policy maker is necessary for the understanding of the complex problems that arise in a discussion of values.