In this book, Don E. Eberly describes the role of civil society in the preservation of democratic values and institutions, and explains why the preservation of civil society must be a major priority over the next several decades. Our society, argues Eberly, cannot thrive and perhaps cannot survive, without strong social institutions, a vibrant moral order, and an active, intellectual, and grass roots dimension, and analyzes the concept of civil society in the context of both political theory and sociology. He then outlines ways in which the civil society debate reveals and responds to the more fundamental concern of moral collapse evident in America today.