I believe that the issue of human destiny is posed as follows: will the evolution of civilization, and to what extent, prevail over the disturbances caused in social life by the human instincts of aggression and self-destruction?

From this perspective, it is perhaps worth paying special attention to the modern era. People today have greatly extended their dominion over natural forces, and thus, thanks to this dominion, they can easily annihilate each other to the last.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]