Edward Carpenter 
Civilisation: Its Cause and Cure 
And Other Essays

British-born thinker and activist Edward Carpenter proposes a number of novel ideas in this engaging collection of essays. Chief among them is the notion that most of the civilized societies that have emerged throughout human history have crumbled after a period of centuries. Carpenter posits that "civilization" is a developmental phase that humankind must pass through in its evolution toward a truly enlightened state of being.