Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction
- Principal events in Fourier's life
- A brief note on further reading (in English)
- Translator's introduction
- The Theory of the Four Movements and of the General Destinies
- 1808 Introduction
- Preliminary discourse
- Plan
- First part: Exposition of some branches of the general destinies
- Second part: Description of the various branches of the private or domestic destinies
- Third part: Confirmation derived from the inadequacy of the inexact sciences to deal with all the problems that the civilised mechanism presents
- First demonstration: Freemasonry and its still unknown properties
- Second demonstration: The insular monopoly and its still unknown properties
- Interlude: System of development of Civilisation
- Third demonstration: Commercial licence: Its known vices and its unknown dangers
- Epilogue: On the social chaos of the globe
- Omitted chapter
- Note A
- Advice to the civilised
- 1818 Introduction
- Index
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Interlude: System of development of Civilisation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction
- Principal events in Fourier's life
- A brief note on further reading (in English)
- Translator's introduction
- The Theory of the Four Movements and of the General Destinies
- 1808 Introduction
- Preliminary discourse
- Plan
- First part: Exposition of some branches of the general destinies
- Second part: Description of the various branches of the private or domestic destinies
- Third part: Confirmation derived from the inadequacy of the inexact sciences to deal with all the problems that the civilised mechanism presents
- First demonstration: Freemasonry and its still unknown properties
- Second demonstration: The insular monopoly and its still unknown properties
- Interlude: System of development of Civilisation
- Third demonstration: Commercial licence: Its known vices and its unknown dangers
- Epilogue: On the social chaos of the globe
- Omitted chapter
- Note A
- Advice to the civilised
- 1818 Introduction
- Index
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Summary
I warned you that I would scatter a few chapters on the theory of social movement through the course of this book: here is one which is entertaining, but which also should be read twice, in order fully to understand the movement of Civilisation, the progress and decay of which are represented in the table on the next page.
By pointing out the opportunity for social progress provided by insular monopoly and freemasonry, I have demonstrated the incompetence of modern politics, which have been incapable of profiting by these means of improvement, these ways out of Civilisation.
The moderns are blinder still on the subject of the commercial mechanism; an analysis of it will prove the philosophers' insistence on stifling truth in all its forms and ignoring the most obvious symptoms of our ignorance of the art of society.
The rule of the commercial spirit is represented here as a degeneration or decadence of the civilised order, and the table of the civilised mechanism, which follows, indicates the positions held by commerce and monopoly. I shall explain (in the ‘Progressive table of civilised movement’) how progress and decadence are operated solely by natural forces, without the inexact sciences ever having provided any assistance. Each phase has special attributes which I shall not go into here.
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- Information
- Fourier: 'The Theory of the Four Movements' , pp. 217 - 221Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1996