utionary.

Rome's demise as a world power was followed by centuries of
quietude--The Dark Ages. These in turn yielded to a period of
revolutionary change that found its early expression in the voyages and
discoveries that spanned the earth after 1450. Three centuries later the
rebirth of western humanity expressed itself in the industrial
revolution that flooded across the planet and became an early stage of
the planet-wide sweep that has played havoc with nature, turned the old
society upside down and presently promises to produce a new society for
a reborn human race.

World-wide revolution is the predominant force in the twentieth century.
Its existence and some of its consequences have become an all-embracing
theme for thought and discussion. They have put into the hands of
present-day humanity the ideas, experiments and experiences needed for
transforming nature, rebuilding social institutions and practices and
opening the way for mankind to move confidently into a future replete
with intriguing and exciting possibilities.

An excellent summary of this entire field is appearing in a six volume
_History of Mankind_, sponsored by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Volume six of the history
is titled _The Twentieth Century_. Particularly noteworthy is an
Introduction of more than a hundred printed pages, Part I, _The
Development and Application of Scientific Knowledge_, and Part II on
_The Transformation of Societies_. Events surrounding the war of 1914-18
are correctly described as "a turning point in world history." (Vol. VI
p. 11)

World revolution is one aspect of present-day society. From our present
vantage point we cannot tell how far it will go or what it will do to
humanity and its present habitat.

Advances in science and technology have provided mankind with a new
stage on which to go through a new act and speak a new piece. What
effect will they have on the institutions and practices of western
civilization? Have they rendered the forms and functions of civilization
obsolete? Or can western civilization adapt itself or be adapted to the
very difficult situation created by the revolution through which human
society is presently passing? Can western civilization be reformed to
meet the new historical situation created by the great revolution or
must it be rejected and replaced?

If the institutions and practices of western civilization can be
adjusted to me