Les Ruines, ou méditation sur les révolutions des empires

audiobook

Les Ruines, ou méditation sur les révolutions des empires

by C.-F. (Constantin-François) Volney

FR·~11 hours·14 chapters

Chapters

14 total

Œuvres

0:03

TOME I.

0:00

LES RUINES,

3:30

NOTICE

1:09:04

LES RUINES,

5:34:20

LOI NATURELLE,

0:07

AVERTISSEMENT

2:38

LOI NATURELLE,

1:12:28

NOTES

1:35:14

LETTRE

0:02
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Description

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.

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Details

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

Jan 29, 2009

Rights

Public domain in the USA.

About the author

C.-F. (Constantin-François) Volney

C.-F. (Constantin-François) Volney

1757–1820

A sharp-eyed traveler and thinker of the Enlightenment, he turned firsthand journeys in Egypt and Syria into books that shaped how European readers imagined the Middle East and the ancient world. His best-known work, The Ruins, blends history, politics, and big questions about religion and empire.

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