Ours is an age of disenchantment. The optimism which characterized
part of the nineteenth century has been undermined by wars and depres-
sions and the rise of dictatorships. World War I was fought by some
Americans in the belief that the world could be made safe for democracy,
yet today democracy in Europe is more embattled than it was in 1914.
World War II was fought to establish fundamental freedoms for men
everywhere, and yet today there is a wholesale escape from freedom on
the part of many nations in Europe and in Asia.

We all know that our scientific progress has been astounding. In-
deed, more progress has been made in the physical and natural sciences
since 1900 than in the last 5000 years. Yet this advancement has not been
accompanied by ethical progress and by a growing sensitivity towards the
needs of others. Technology in our time is like a Leviathan; we have al-
most become slaves to machines. We have more comforts than ever, but
we are profoundly uncomfortable as we face the future. We have more
ways and better means to amuse ourselves, yet many of us feel a sense of
profound emptiness.

The dilemma of modern man is perhaps best represented by Albert Camus
in The Stranger. The main character of the book is a young man
who feels no fundamental emotions. He does not love anyone. When his
mother dies, he does not mourn; he does not even miss her. He is inter-
ested in a girl because he needs a purge for his biological needs. To him
she is an object, not someone to be cherished. Then, in a moment of pas-

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