The title of the book was not lightly chosen. Paraphrasing the Darwinian notion of the survival of the fittest, Jonas Salk argues that Man's ability to learn how to act wisely is critically important both for maintaining and improving the quality of human life and for survival on this planet. Jonathan Salk was [at the time of this publication] Director and Fellow of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California. The Institute for Biological Studies, which he founded, is dedicated not only to experimental biology, but to relating biological knowledge to philosophical, psychological and social questions. Dr. Salk views biology not only as science but as a basic cultural discipline with unifying potential for the relationship that exists between man and the physical universe, as well as between man and the sciences, arts, and humanities.