XIX. An Analysis of the Contemporary World\u27s Search for Meaning

Abstract

Any analysis of the contemporary world which is to be valid must begin with the individual\u27s own local situation and immediate problems. How far it ranges in space and time beyond this depends on the capacity, imagination, and intellectual staying power of those who begin such a quest. Because this book is written for students in the United States it will take this country as the platform from which to launch its analysis. This is not to imply that the European emphasis which has characterized our work thus far is now irrelevant. It is rather to face the fact that Americans are today in a position where they cannot avoid providing their own interpretation of the present state of Western Civilization. [excerpt