text: contained here is, it is to be hoped, that stemming from the fact that the paper was prepared by a social economist from a developing country. Consequently, all aspects of social indicators discussed here are some­ what influenced by his orientation. B. SOCIAL INDICATORS DEFINED Preliminary exploration 5. The semantics of social indicators need to be clarified before examining the definition of social indicators in the professional sense. This preliminary exploration is important because the terminology has become so popular that even a learned individual often forms his own conception and definition without going through the basic reading. No satisfactory definition of the term social indicators is given even in the most recent editions of leading encyclopaedias. Therefore, some discussion is necessary here to clear up this type of miscnderstanding. 6. An indicator, as defined by any dictionary, is something that points out something else. Based on this definition, an indicator should be something more than a mere statistic. But to distinguish a raw datum from a statistic, the latter is compiled based on a certain definition for a given purpose and also indicates something else. This distinction is extremely difficult to make, however, since a statistic may indicate something if it is interpreted through one's ability and perception.1 For this reason, a beginner is often disappointed to find that an indicator is nothing but a well dressed-up statistic, while some argue that statistics are not ipso facto indicators.:: and that "an indicator is meant to indicate something beyond the property it ex~resses prima facie, otherwise the term forfeits its conceptual relevance". 1 M.J. Moroney, Facts from Figures (Penguin Books, 1951). 2 Donald McGranahan, "Development indicators and development modeis", Nancy Baster, ed., Measuring Development: The Role and Adequacy of Develop· ment Indicators (London, Frank Cass, 1972), p. 91. 3 Ramkrishna Mukhcrijee, Social Indicators (Bombay, -MacMillan, 1975), p. 1. 
analysis: The text appears to be discussing the concept of social indicators, which are statistics used to measure and evaluate the social and economic development of a country. The author is clarifying the definition of social indicators and distinguishing them from mere statistics. The text does not specifically mention economic development, but it is likely related to the topic, as social indicators are often used in the context of development.