The Idea of Progress (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. An Inquiry Into Its Origin And GrowthBy J. B. Bury
Length11h
About this audiobook
The Idea of Progress is J. B. Bury's lucid historical inquiry into one of modernity's governing assumptions: that humanity, through reason, science, and social organization, can advance indefinitely. Written in a measured, analytic prose characteristic of early twentieth-century intellectual history, the book traces the concept from classical and Christian antecedents through the Renaissance, Enlightenment, and nineteenth-century evolutionary thought. Bury situates progress not as an eternal truth but as a historically emergent idea, shaped by changing attitudes toward knowledge, freedom, and the future. J. B. Bury, an eminent Irish historian and classical scholar, was deeply formed by rigorous philology, ancient history, and the liberal rationalism of his age. His career at Trinity College Dublin and later Cambridge gave him command of both classical antiquity and modern historiography. This breadth enabled him to examine progress with unusual detachment, neither merely celebrating nor dismissing it, but asking how such a powerful doctrine came to command modern belief. This book is recommended to readers interested in intellectual history, philosophy of history, and the genealogy of modern secular thought. It remains valuable for anyone wishing to understand how confidence in human improvement became central to modern political, scientific, and cultural imagination.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
GenrePhilosophy
Length11 hrs
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateFeb 6, 2019
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
16Chapter X. The Year 2440
2Introduction
17Chapter XI. The French Revolution: Condorcet
3Synopsis
18Chapter XII. The Theory of Progress in England
4Historical Context
19Chapter XIII. German Speculations on Progress
5Preface
20Chapter XIV. Currents of Thought in France after the Revolution
Show all chaptersShow less
6Introduction
21Chapter XV. The Search for a Law of Progress
7Chapter I. Some Interpretations of Universal History: Bodin and le Roy
22Chapter XVI. The Search for a Law of Progress: II. Comte
8Chapter II. Utility the End of Knowledge: Bacon
23Chapter XVII. "Progress" in the French Revolutionary Movement (1830-1851)
9Chapter III. Cartesianism
24Chapter XVIII. Material Progress: The Exhibition of 1851
10Chapter IV. The Doctrine of Degeneration: The Ancients and Moderns
25Chapter XIX. Progress in the Light of Evolution
11Chapter V. The Progress of Knowledge: Fontenelle
26Epilogue
12Chapter VI. The General Progress of Man: Abbe de Saint-Pierre
27Analysis
13Chapter VII. New Conceptions of History: Montesquieu, Voltaire, Turgot
28Reflection
14Chapter VIII. The Encyclopaedists and Economists
29Memorable Quotes
15Chapter IX. Was Civilisation a Mistake? Rousseau, Chastellux. 1
More from J. B. Bury
The Invasion of Europe by the Barbarians (Annotated)J. B. Bury8h 41m$2 · $0.00
The History of the Byzantine Empire (Annotated)J. B. Bury15h 41m$2 · $0.00
A History of Freedom of Thought (Annotated)J. B. Bury6h 49m$2 · $0.00
The History of the Byzantine EmpireJ. B. Bury15h 32m$1 · $0.00
The Hellenistic AgeJ. B. Bury, E.A. Barber, Edwyn Bevan, W.W. Tarn4h 14m$1 · $0.00
A History of the Later Roman Empire (Vol. 1&2)J. B. Bury46h 19m$2 · $0.00
A History of the Later Roman Empire (Vol. 1&2) (Annotated)J. B. Bury46h 25m$3 · $0.00
The Life of St. Patrick and His Place in HistoryJ. B. Bury5h 47m$2 · $0.00
The Life of St. Patrick and His Place in History (Summarized Edition)J. B. Bury2h 35m$2
A History of Freedom of ThoughtJ. B. Bury5h 52m$1 · $0.00
History of the Eastern Roman Empire (Summarized Edition)J. B. Bury3h 41m$2
A History of the Later Roman Empire (Summarized Edition)J. B. Bury8h 54m$2
The Hellenistic AgeJ. B. Bury, E.A. Barber, Edwyn Bevan, W.W. Tarn4h 14m$2 · $0.00
History of the Eastern Roman Empire (Annotated)J. B. Bury15h 35m$2 · $0.00
The Life of St. Patrick and His Place in History (Annotated)J. B. Bury6h 38m$2 · $0.00
Metaphysics (Annotated)Aristotle13h 30m$2 · $0.00
The Collected Works of Friedrich Nietzsche (Annotated)Friedrich Nietzsche93h 6m$2 · $0.00
Plato: Complete WorksPlato141h 38m$2 · $0.00
WitnessAriel Burger8h 1m$20 · $0.00
Feeling Is The SecretNeville Goddard44m5.0 (1)$2 · $0.00
The Way to a Beautiful WorldJames Norbury44m$9 · $0.00
The Practicing StoicWard Farnsworth9h 56m$20
The Complete Essays of Montaigne (Annotated)Michel de Montaigne46h 52m$2 · $0.00
Moral Letters to LuciliusLucius Annaeus Seneca25h 24m$2 · $0.00
THE THREE CRITIQUES: The Critique of Pure Reason, The Critique of Practical Reason & The Critique of JudgmentImmanuel Kant46h 10m$1 · $0.00
The LawFrédéric Bastiat2h 7m$10
IlluminationsWalter Benjamin10h 12m$20 · $0.00
Tâo Teh KingLaozi2h 34m$2 · $0.00
Buddhist Boot CampTimber Hawkeye2h 39m$18 · $0.00
The DhammapadaFriedrich Max Müller1h 30m$15
Change Your MindRJ Spina7h 5m$17
Enchiridion & The Discourses of Epictetus (Annotated)Arrian Epictetus18h 9m$2 · $0.00
SUMMA THEOLOGICAThomas Aquinas285h 28m$1 · $0.00
The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius AntoninusEmperor of Rome Marcus Aurelius5h 41m$1 · $0.00
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky23h 11m$12 · $0.00
You may also like
Issues In Health CareJohn Warwick Montgomery, John Warwick Montgomery3h 34m$12 · $0.00
The Collected WorksW.E.B. Du Bois35h 35m$2 · $0.00
1620Peter W. Wood7h 32m$17 · $0.00
Readings on Fascism and National SocialismVarious2h 33m$2 · $0.00
The Literature and History of New Testament TimesJ. Gresham Machen13h 26m$2 · $0.00
A Defence of VirginiaRobert Lewis Dabney10h$1 · $0.00
American DemagogueJ. D. Dickey12h 14m$23
FeminaJanina Ramirez11h 56m$8 · $0.00
LeviathanThomas Hobbes23h$2.30
Latin LiteratureJ. W. Mackail10h 34m$3 · $0.00
ON LIBERTY - The Philosophy of Individual Freedom (Annotated)John Stuart Mill, W. L. Courtney5h 58m$2 · $0.00
Capitalism, Socialism and DemocracyJoseph A. Schumpeter18h 23m$8 · $0.00
The Relations of the Advanced and the Backward Races of MankindJames Bryce2h 3m$2 · $0.00
The History of the JewsGotthard Deutsch3h 12m$2.30
Our Changing ConstitutionCharles W. Pierson4h 36m$2 · $0.00
An Essay on the Antient and Modern State of IrelandHenry Brooke3h 5m$2 · $0.00
The Candidate Losersthe Speech Resource Company9h 25m$20
Democracy in America (Annotated)Alexis de Toqueville36h 35m$2 · $0.00
The Unity of Western CivilizationVarious8h 59m$2 · $0.00
Princeton in the Nation's ServiceWoodrow Wilson59m$2 · $0.00