Over 50 years ago, Jacques Maritain, descibed by some as one of the foremost intellectuals of the 20th century, addressed the issue of the roots of the decline of Western culture. Confronted by the moral monstrosity of Nazi Germany and the weakness of vision in Western democracies, Maritain assessed the problem to be based upon a distorted and disintegrated understanding of human nature. In his work, ""The Twilight of Civilization"", he argued for a reformation in Western education which would incorporate principles necessary for the survival and flourishing of Western democracies. In October 1989, members of the American Maritain Association met in San Francisco to discuss the cultural vision of Jacques Maritain as displayed in ""The Twilight of Civilization"". This volume expresses the ideas that developed at this meeting.