text: formulated. There is even a possibility that such a definition will never be formulated because social indicators encompass many different aspects, apply to diverse uses, and address themselves to some basic problems which challenge the limits of human wisdom.4 4 As will be discussed, proponents of social indicators try to measure the unmeasurable , such as welfare; to resolve the age-old index problem; and to tackle the problem of measurement without a theory, among others. 37 11. Out of the ever-growing literature on social indicators, a number of distinctive definitions for them have emerged. Professor Raymond Bauer, one of the originators of the term, defines social indicators as "statistics, statistical series, and all other forms of evidence ... that enable us to assess where we stand and are going with respect to our values and goals".5 The tradition of assessing where the United States stands and is going with respect to its values and goals was established under the Hoover administration. 6 According to this definition of social indicators, they are normative in their nature, indicating present status and future trends toward pre-established social values and goals, which are as difficult, if not more, to define than social indicators. This defini­ tion also presumes that there is an established theory which tells us if the move of an indicator in a particular direction is "good" or "bad". It is especially difficult for any social indicator to meet these two pre­ conditions. 12. Two refinements of this classical definition of social indicators have been attempted which place greater emphasis on specific aspects of the definition. The first refinement specifies the values and goals of a society in more general terms such as a good quality of life and im­ proved general welfare. 7 In this approach, the indicators which show a 
analysis: The text discusses the concept of social indicators, which aim to measure the progress of a society towards its values and goals. It mentions the challenges of defining and measuring social indicators, including the difficulty of defining social values and goals. The text also touches on the idea of using statistics and other forms of evidence to assess a society's status and trends. Given the focus on societal progress and the use of statistics, it is likely that the text falls under a category related to social sciences or development.