This is William Kluback’s sixth volume on Paul Valery. As Kluback moved from one volume to another, he realized how Valery mastered the human mind; how he saw in it man’s most distinguished power. In face of the Gulags and the Holocaust, of mass murder, and universal deception, Valery maintained his faith in rationality. In this faith of reason, he found the strength to continue his work. We study him because we believe that rationality is our guide and protector.