First delivered as a lecture in 1889, the title essay argues that civilisation is a passing stage, a kind of disease bred by property and class, from which humanity will recover into a freer, simpler life. The companion essays criticise modern science, forecast a science of the future, defend criminals against fixed moral codes, and discuss custom and growth.
A provocative classic of Victorian radical thought by the socialist, poet and friend of Whitman. Download the free EPUB.