One other aspect of weber’s work on values worth noting is his ideas on the role of the social sciences in helping people make choices among various ultimate value positions. Basically, weber’s view is that there is no way of scientifically choosing among alternative value positions. Thus social scientists cannot presume to make such choices for people. “the social sciences, which are strictly empirical sciences, are the the least fitted to presume to save the individual the difficulty of making a choice” (weber,1903-1917/1949:19). The social scientist can derive certain factual conclusions from social research, but this research cannot tell people what they “ought” to do. Empirical research can help people choose an adequate means to an end, but it cannot help them choose that end as opposed to other ends. Weber says, “it can never be the task of an empirical science to provide binding norms and ideals from which directions for immediate practical activity can be derived” (1903-1917/1949:52)