Vulnerabilities of Social Structures - The Black Vault

of society, and which therefore set the( determinants fori social effects of nuclearattack. Ii constrast, the over'riding concer'n in 1).ýrt 11 is to review a number ofspecific, critical areas of knowledge, whetre groups of findings and partial modelsor the(.)o ies enable the analysts to (.(ninst ru ct sots of pro)los it ions a bout the eventsthat may be expected within particular institutional sectors of society atter attack.Consequently, the propositions developed in the five "criterion essays" do not neccssarilyreflect a common theoretical perspective, nor do they necessarily exhaustall the issues which a particular analyst might feel to be within his comnpetence.Rather, the findings developed in these five essays often represent the analysts'best judgments about what will be important. 2 As a group, these findings formcomplementary ingredients for a larger attempt to develop a total view of the wayin which social effects are determined after attack. But there is nothing ir thesefindings or in the theoretical perspectives which the analysts enilply(yed n theiressays to dictate the structure of the total view which might be d(v,.eop(,d to ,describeand explain the functioning of social determinants aftct attack.For convenience in giving the reader, an overview, thie cd ito hia.- provideda separate, introductory statement for each chapter in Part 11. In these initroductions,the editor advances some partially speculative notions about how tile contentof each chapter ,.ould fit into a larger, organizing view of processes within thetotal social system. The reader should bear in mind, however, that the contributorsto Part II usually had more precisely focused conceptions of their task. Thus,in writing on "The Social Dimensions of Nuclear Attack" in Chapter 11, Neil Smelseris particularly concerned to establish groups of propositions which will projectplausible, possible. or probable behavior of individuals and collectivities afterattack. As he moves toward the longer term responses of complex organizations,institutions, and cultural values, he freely concedes that his propositions becomemuch less certain. Similarly, in writing on "I)emographic Aspects of Vulnerabilityand Recuperation from Nuclear Attack" in Chapter III, David Hleer is dealing withphenomena which may be conceptually placed on the level of "ecological system20n the groundrules which guided tile wri ing of th "se essays and on theirplace within a total analysis of society under nuclear attack, see "Appendix to Chapter1, On Reading the Five Essays in Part 11", below, pp. 185-203.xl