Project Gutenberg 2006-05-03 Public domain in the USA. 588 Volney, C.-F. (Constantin-François) 1757 1820 Volney, Constantin-François Chasseboeuf, comte de Volney, C.-F. (Constantin-Francois) Les ruines. English The Ruins; Or, Meditation on the Revolutions of Empires and the Law of Nature Translation from French of Les ruines Produced by Donald Lainson; David Widger "The Ruins; Or, Meditation on the Revolutions of Empires and the Law of Nature" by C. F. Volney is a philosophical treatise composed in the late 18th century. The work delves into themes of society, morality, and the cyclic nature of empires and civilizations, using historical reflections as a backdrop for its exploration of human existence and governance. The opening of the book introduces the author’s journey across the once-prosperous regions of Egypt and Syria, where he contemplates the ruins of past civilizations. Volney reflects on the stark contrast between the ancient splendor of these cities and their current desolation, spurring meditations on the causes of societal decline and human misery. As he interacts with the remnants of grandeur, he confronts haunting questions about fate, divine justice, and the responsibility of humanity for its own sufferings. This poignant engagement sets the stage for his deeper examination of the laws of nature and society, encouraging readers to seek wisdom from history to understand their present conditions. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 50.8 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Revolutions Ethics History -- Philosophy Religions D Text Category: History - Other Category: Philosophy & Ethics 691864 2025-07-01T09:24:06.193017 text/html 685533 2013-03-04T12:12:48 text/html; charset=us-ascii 348002 2025-07-01T09:24:17.096910 application/epub+zip 364713 2025-07-01T09:24:10.109972 application/epub+zip 317404 2025-07-01T09:24:08.681993 application/epub+zip 715349 2025-07-01T09:24:21.921904 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 701871 2025-07-01T09:24:16.099908 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 476399 2022-09-01T10:50:22.552416 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 619674 2023-10-01T08:48:19.036638 text/plain 17081 2025-07-01T09:24:22.047867 application/rdf+xml 25132 2025-07-01T09:24:09.190941 image/jpeg 4697 2025-07-01T09:24:08.935939 image/jpeg 337796 2025-07-01T09:24:06.242946 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog fr.wikipedia en.wikipedia