The decline of the West which at first sight may appear like the corresponding decline of the Classical Culture a phenomenon limited in time and space we now perceive to be a philosophical problem that when comprehended in all its gravity includes within itself every great question of Being.If therefore we are to discover in what form the destiny of the Western Culture will be accomplished we must first be clear as to what culture is what its relations are to visible history to life to soul to nature to intellect what the forms of its manifestation are and how far these forms peoples tongues and epochs battles and ideas states and gods arts and craftworks sciences laws economic types and world ideas great men and great events may be accepted and pointed to as symbols.