The introduction of the concept of latent function in social research leads to conclusions which show that 'social life is not as simple as it first seems.' For as long as people confine themselves to certain consequences (e.g. manifest consequences), it is comparatively simple for them to pass moral judgments upon the practice or belief in question.  Moral evaluations, generally based on these manifest consequences, tend to be polarized in terms of black or white.  But the perception of further (latent) consequences often complicates the picture.  Problems of moral evaluation (which are not our immediate concern) and problems of social engineering (which are our concern) both take on the additional complexities usually involved in responsible social decisions (1968, p. 122).