Tracing the development of progressive Catholic approaches to political and economic modernization, this volume disputes standard interpretations of the Catholic response to democracy and modernity in the English-speaking world - particularly the conventional view that the Church was the servant of right-wing reactionaries and authoritarian, patriarchal structures.

A collection of essays which provide insights into such topics as concepts of animal/human relationships; environmental and ecological history; medieval hunting; early modern collections of natural objects; the relationship of religion and nature; and the rise of science.

Presenting with moving insight the relations between man, as a person and as an individual, and the society of which he is a part, Maritain's treatment of a lasting topic speaks to this generation as well as those to come.