Francis Bacon presented in elegant detail his model for a science that would move from "the skirmishings and slight attacks and desultory movements of the intellect . . . to the discovery of many new things of service to the life and state of man" ( Bacon, 1620/ 1947, p. 236). He visualized an interactive process where a consortium of investigators would examine, measure, weigh, and/or carry out experiments. This data base would, in turn, lead to new hypotheses, or axioms in his parlance, and thus create a demand for yet further experiments. "For our road does not lie on the level, but ascends and descends; first ascending to axioms, and then descending to works" (p. 240).
By working cooperatively, Bacon thought that it would be possible to solve problems heretofore open only to philosophical debate. From his perspective, a cooperative effort would soon produce solutions to ancient problems. These products would dot the intellectual landscape like cathedrals, each a monument to the great instauration. Within the social sciences, Bacon's dream has seldom been realized. Many of us work in isolation. Others are elitists who roam their oak forests, bronze sword in hand, protecting hidden treasure from the eyes of all but the initiated. In recent times, however, there have been several currents moving against these two traditions of scholarship. First, the funds for research are more limited now. Second, many of the questions are too complex to be solved by a single investigator. These and other considerations led to a decision by a working committee at NIMH to design a special conference of investigators. Each participant would be productively engaged in empirical studies of families, and all studies would include longitudinal designs. The conference would also include a sprinkling of investigators who are committed to the study of family therapy outcomes and process. The details of the participants and what occurred at the conference are discussed in the opening chapter of this volume.