Most of the papers in this collection were written more than five years ago; and some were written more than ten years ago. It seems appropriate, therefore, to round off with an author's view of how they appear in the light of more recent developments in the comparative study of religions and world-views.

Unfortunately, there is neither the time nor the space for a systematic updating of the approach embodied in these essays. Nor perhaps would such a massive enterprise even be desirable, in a collection designed primarily to bring together the author's past efforts, warts and all. Here, then, I shall restrict myself to brief reviews of and replies to some of the main lines of criticism that have emerged during the last decade.

During the sixties and seventies, when most of these articles were written, the would-be propounder of a new theoretical framework had to contend with just two rival movements: that of the Symbolists and that of the Theologians. And this refreshingly simple situation is reflected in the critical pieces here assembled. The 1980s, however, have produced a veritable cornucopia of theories of religion and world-view. Indeed, it has almost been a period of ‘one man, one theory’. The resulting diversity has been somewhat daunting for anyone trying to take a critical overview of what has been going on.