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
- Omitted chapter
- Note A
- Advice to the civilised
- 1818 Introduction
- Index
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Preliminary discourse
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
- Omitted chapter
- Note A
- Advice to the civilised
- 1818 Introduction
- Index
- Cambridge Texts in the History of Political Thought
Summary
On the stupidity of the civilised nations which have forgotten or scorned the two branches of research which lead to the theory of destinies: the study of Agricultural Association and the study of Passionate Attraction.
And on the dire results of this stupidity which, for 2,300 years, has needlessly prolonged the period of social chaos, i.e. savage, barbaric and civilised societies, which are far from being the destiny of the human race.
If we consider the wealth of great minds Civilisation has produced, especially during the eighteenth century, it is easy to imagine that they have exhausted all areas of investigation, and that, far from hoping for great discoveries, we cannot expect even insignificant ones.
This prejudice will be overcome: men will learn that the enlightenment that has been gained so far amounts to scarcely a quarter of that which remains still to be acquired, and which will be acquired in toto by means of the Theory of the Four Movements. It is the key to all the discoveries of which the human mind is capable; it will rapidly initiate us into knowledge which, at the slow rate of current methods, could take another ten thousand years of study to attain.
The announcement of this theory is bound to arouse mistrust in the first instance, simply because it promises to raise men to an understanding of the destinies.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Fourier: 'The Theory of the Four Movements' , pp. 5 - 28Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1996