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

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.

Collections

Browse all

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

2009-01-29

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 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.

View all books

You may also like