
audiobook
by C.-F. (Constantin-François) Volney
Œuvres
TOME I.
LES RUINES,
NOTICE
LES RUINES,
LOI NATURELLE,
AVERTISSEMENT
LOI NATURELLE,
NOTES
LETTRE
From the opening pages, the work invites the listener on a grand intellectual voyage, beginning with a literal journey that becomes a meditation on the fleeting glory of empires. The author moves from personal observation to a systematic exploration of human nature, questioning how societies emerge, prosper, and eventually crumble.
Through a series of concise essays, the text examines the origins of law, the foundations of virtue, and the diverse ways cultures have tried to explain the divine—from elemental worship to sophisticated theological systems. Each chapter unfolds like a dialogue with history, drawing parallels between ancient upheavals and the challenges of the modern world.
The tone is measured yet provocative, urging listeners to confront the natural laws that govern conduct and to consider whether humanity can overcome its recurring flaws. This reflective treatise offers both a map of past revolutions and a compass for future thought.
Language
fr
Duration
~11 hours (634K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr)
Release date
2009-01-29
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1757–1820
A sharp-eyed traveler and thinker of the Enlightenment, he turned his journeys through Egypt and Syria into books that shaped European ideas about history, religion, and empire. Best known for The Ruins, he wrote with a restless curiosity that still feels modern.
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