Crucible of Ideas is a collection of selected articles previously published in academic journals, as well as papers read at conferences of learned societies in the course of the past forty years. Various areas of interest are represented: literature, philosophy, educational theory, and history of ideas, with emphasis on Spanish-American themes.

A cursory glance at some of the figures dealt with suggests the multifaceted nature of the volume: Francisco Romero, Ernesto Sabato, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento, Ortega y Gasset, Jose Carlos Mariategui, Francisco Giner de los Rios. Highlights of each author's work are discussed.