A discussion of politics and ethics, both of the individual and the state. The author does well at showing how men can be moral persons yet how societies tend to be inherently immoral. He seeks to see equal justice as the direction toward which societies should go, ideally through non-violent coercive methods. nnMany good thoughts are presented in the book, and Niebuhr provides many matters upon which to think. Things did not turn out exactly like he posits, but many things that he speaks of resonate even today. ( )