The social-ethical writings of Count Leo Tolstoy are significant in more than one way. Their subject matter must evoke lively interest everywhere in our time, which is struggling for a renewal of its worldview. Additionally, the author depicts the conflicts that arose within him with an unparalleled, unreserved openness and truthfulness, and with irresistibly charming simplicity, describing the anguish of conscience he has suffered. With the fidelity and vividness with which he reveals his inner life, it is inevitable that a serious reader will be reminded of certain questions whose answers he too has sought.