The End of the Modern World: With Power and Responsibility

Two monumental works on the nature of the modern age by Romano Guardini, one of the most important Catholic figures of the 20th century.

This expanded edition of The End of the Modern World: A Search for Orientation includes its sequel, Power and Responsibility: A Course of Action for the New Age. In both, Guardini analyzes modern man's conception of himself in the world, and examines the nature and use of power. It is the principle of individual responsibility that weaves both works into a seamless, comprehensive, and compelling moral statement. Guardini tirelessly argues that human beings are responsible moral agents, possessed of free will, and answerable to God and their fellow man.

On The End of the Modern World: "This book will cauterize the spirit of any man who reads it; it will burn away that sentimentality with which so many today view the advent of the new order, imagining – as they do – that a fully technologized universe can retain every significant cultural and traditional value sustained by the past." – Frederick D. Wilhelmsen, founding editor of Triumph magazine and professor at the University of Dallas

On Power and Responsibility: "If the characteristic of Hellenic civilization is to be summed up in the word logos, the characteristic of our own is more exactly summed up in the word power. The fact itself is a challenge to the wisdom of man. One is grateful that Romano Guardini has taken up the challenge... I highly recommend the book to all who are wise enough to know today's need to wisdom. That is, I recommend the book to every thoughtful mind." – John Courtney Murray, S.J., architect of the Vatican II "Declaration on Religious Liberty" and author of We Hold These Truths

Romano Guardini (1885-1968) was born in Italy but came as a small child to Germany, where he lived the rest of his life. His sermons and writings won him worldwide acclaim, and his admirers included Josef Pieper and Pope Benedict XVI. His many books have influenced generations and include The Lord, The End of the Modern World, The Spirit of the Liturgy, and The World and the Person. Guardini was the recipient of the German publishing industry's Peace Prize in 1952 and the Erasmus Prize in 1962. The Archdiocese of Munich and Freising opened the Cause for Canonization for Guardini in 2017.