INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER I SOME INTERPRETATIONS OF UNIVERSAL HISTORY: BODIN AND
LE ROY

CHAPTER II UTILITY THE END OF KNOWLEDGE: BACON

CHAPTER III CARTESIANISM

CHAPTER IV THE DOCTRINE OF DEGENERATION: THE ANCIENTS AND
MODERNS

CHAPTER V THE PROGRESS OF KNOWLEDGE: FONTENELLE

CHAPTER VI THE GENERAL PROGRESS OF MAN: ABBE DE SAINT-PIERRE

CHAPTER VII NEW CONCEPTIONS OF HISTORY: MONTESQUIEU, VOLTAIRE,
TURGOT

CHAPTER VIII THE ENCYCLOPAEDISTS AND ECONOMISTS

CHAPTER IX WAS CIVILISATION A MISTAKE? ROUSSEAU, CHASTELLUX

CHAPTER X THE YEAR 2440

CHAPTER XI THE FRENCH REVOLUTION: CONDORCET

CHAPTER XII THE THEORY OF PROGRESS IN ENGLAND