Philip Rieff earned recognition as one of the most profound social theorists of culture and authority of the twentieth century. Through such works as ""Freud: The Mind of the Moralist and The Triumph of the Therapeutic"", he proved himself an incisive interpreter of Freud and his legacy. His work now culminates with the long-awaited trilogy ""Sacred Order/Social Order"", a three-volume work on social theory and contemporary culture.In volume 2, ""The Crisis of the Officer Class: The Decline of the Tragic Sensibility"", Philip Rieff continues his assault against the deathworks of our modern age. Invoking his theory developed in volume 1, he elaborates on his critique of our current culture as distinguishable only by its rejection of any and all visions of sacred order.

General editor: Kenneth S. Piver