Editors' Intro.

An editorial is presented which discusses article on work and life of Maria Márkus, a Polish sociologist and philosopher. Topics discussed include Maria's themes and preoccupations about building civility in our institutions and decency in our relationships; her decisive contribution to the short-lived renaissance of Hungarian critical sociology during the middle of the 1960s; and her analysis of contemporary social life against the background of the personal meaning of a successful life.