Abacci's World History
In 1922 one of my favourite Sci-Fi authors turned his pen
to the abitious task of writing a concise description of the history of humankind.
I think he did a commendable job, and enjoyed reading it so much that
I've reproduced it here for your entertainment and education.
(8 months later...) I've discovered another great history
resource: John Lord's 12 volume 'Beacon Lights of History' and will be adding
it as time permits. John had some definite 'issues' with non-Christian belief
systems, but if you can see past these, there's a wealth of useful insights
into our colourful human past.
H. G. Wells' book is contained in the first chapters, from
'The World in Space' through to 'The Political and Social Reconstruction
of the World'. The subsequent chapters are all from John Lord's Beacon Lights.
Contents
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The World in Space
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The World in Time
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The Beginnings of Life
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The Age of Fishes
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The Age of the Coal Swamps
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The Age of Reptiles
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The First Birds and the First Mammals
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The Age of Mammals
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Monkeys, Apes and Sub-men
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The Neanderthaler and the Rhodesian Man
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The First True Men
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Primitive Thought
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The Beginnings of Cultivation
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Primitive Neolithic Civilizations
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Sumeria, Early Egypt and Writing
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Primitive Nomadic Peoples
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The First Sea-going Peoples
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Egypt, Babylon and Assyria
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The Primitive Aryans
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The Last Babylonian Empire and the Empire of Darius I
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The Early History of the Jews
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Priests and Prophets in Judea
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The Greeks
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The Wars of the Greeks and Persians
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The Splendour of Greece
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The Empire of Alexander the Great
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The Museum and Library at Alexandria
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The Life of Gautama Buddha
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King Asoka
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Confucius and Lao Tse
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Rome Comes into History
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Rome and Carthage
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The Growth of the Roman Empire
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Between Rome and China
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The Common Man's Life under the Early Roman Empire
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Religious Developments under the Roman Empire
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The Teaching of Jesus
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The Development of Doctrinal Christianity
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The Barbarians Break the Empire into East and West
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The Huns and the End of the Western Empire
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The Byzantine and Sassanid Empires
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The Dynasties of Suy and Tang in China
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Muhammad and Islam
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The Great Days of the Arabs
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The Development of Latin Christendom
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The Crusades and the Age of Papal Dominion
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Recalcitrant Princes and the Great Schism
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The Mongol Conquests
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The Intellectual Revival of the Europeans
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The Reformation of the Latin Church
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The Emperor Charles V
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The Age of Political Experiments; Grand Monarchy, Parliaments and Republicanism in Europe
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The New Empires of the Europeans in Asia and Overseas
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The American War of Independence
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The French Revolution and the Restoration of Monarchy in France
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The Uneasy Peace in Europe That Followed the Fall of Napoleon
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The Development of Material Knowledge
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The Industrial Revolution
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The Development of Modern Political and Social Ideas
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The Expansion of the United States
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The Rise of Germany to Predominance in Europe
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The New Overseas Empires of Steamship and Railway
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European Aggression in Asia, and the Rise of Japan
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The British Empire in 1914
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The Age of Armament in Europe, and the Great War of 1914-18
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The Revolution and Famine in Russia
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The Political and Social Reconstruction of the World
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Ancient religions
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Christianity not progressive
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Jewish monotheism
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Religion of Egypt
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Its great antiquity
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Its essential features
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Complexity of Egyptian polytheism
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Egyptian deities
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The worship of the sun
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The priestly caste of Egypt
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Power of the priests
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Future rewards and punishments
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Morals of the Egyptians
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Functions of the priests
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Egyptian ritual of worship
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Transmigration of souls
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Animal worship
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Effect of Egyptian polytheism on the Jews
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Assyrian deities
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Phoenician deities
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Worship of the sun
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Oblations and sacrifices
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Idolatry the sequence of polytheism
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Religion of the Persians
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Character of the early Iranians
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Comparative purity of the Persian religion
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Zoroaster
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Zend-Avesta
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Dualism
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Religions of India
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Antiquity of Brahmanism
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Sanskrit literature
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The Aryan races
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Aryan migrations
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The Vedas
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Ancient deities of India
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Laws of Menu
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Hindu pantheism
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Corruption of Brahmanism
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The Brahmanical caste
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Character of the Brahmans
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Rise of Buddhism
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Gautama
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Experiences of Gautama
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Travels of Buddha
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Buddha's religious system
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Spread of Buddhism
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Buddhism a reaction against Brahmanism
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Nirvana
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Gloominess of Buddhism
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Buddhism as a reform of morals
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Sayings of Siddrtha
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Buddha's rules
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Failure of Buddhism in India
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Religion of the Greeks and Romans
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Greek myths
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Greek divinities
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Greek polytheism
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Greek mythology
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Adoption of Oriental fables
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Greek deities the creation of poets
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Peculiarities of the Greek gods
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The minor deities
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The Greeks indifferent to a future state
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Augustine view of heathen deities
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Artists vie with poets in conceptions of divine
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Temple of Zeus in Olympia
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Greek festivals
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No sacred books among the Greeks
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A religion without deities
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Roman divinities
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Peculiarities of Roman worship
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Ritualism and hypocrisy
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Character of the Roman
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Early condition of China
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Youth of Confucius
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Confucius - public life
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Confucius - reforms
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Confucius - fame
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Confucius - wanderings
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Confucius - old age
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Confucius - writings
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Confucius - philosophy
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Confucius - definition of a superior man
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Confucius - ethics
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Confucius - views of government
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Confucius - veneration for antiquity
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Confucius - beautiful character
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Confucius - encouragement of learning
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Confucius - character as statesman
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Confucius - exaltation of filial piety
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Confucius - exaltation of friendship
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The supremacy of the State
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Necessity of good men in office
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Peaceful policy of Confucius
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Veneration for Confucius' writings
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Confucius' posthumous influence
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Lao-tse
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Intellectual superiority of the Greeks
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Early progress of philosophy
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The Greek philosophy
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The Ionian Sophoi
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Thales and his principles
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Anaximenes
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Diogenes of Apollonia
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Heraclitus of Ephesus
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Anaxagoras
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Anaximander
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Pythagoras and his school
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Xenophanes
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Zeno of Elea
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Empedocles and the Eleatics
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Loftiness of the Greek philosopher
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Progress of scepticism
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The Sophists
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Socrates
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Socrates' exposure of error
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Socrates as moralist
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The method of Socrates
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Socrates' services to philosophy
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Socrates' disciples
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Plato
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Ideas of Plato
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Archer Butler on Plato
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Aristotle
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Aristotle's services
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The syllogism
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The Epicureans
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Sir James Mackintosh on Epicurus
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The Stoics
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Zeno
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Principles of the Stoical philosophy
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Philosophy among the Romans
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Cicero
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Epictetus
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Socrates
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Era of Socrates' birth; view of Socrates' times
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Socrates' personal appearance and peculiarities
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Socrates' lofty moral character
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Socrates' sarcasm and ridicule of opponents
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The Sophists
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Socrates' philosophic method
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Socrates' questions and definitions
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Socrates' contempt of theories
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Imperfection of contemporaneous physical science
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The Ionian philosophers
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Uncertainty of physical inquiries in Socrates' day
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Superiority of moral truth
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Happiness, Virtue, Knowledge,--the Socratic trinity
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The "daemon" of Socrates
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Socrates' idea of God and Immortality
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Socrates a witness and agent of God
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Socrates compared with Buddha and Marcus Aurelius
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Socrates' resemblance to Christ in life and teachings
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Unjust charges of Socrates' enemies
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Socrates' unpopularity
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Socrates' trial and defence
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Socrates' audacity
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Socrates' condemnation
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The dignity of Socrates' last hours
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Socrates' death
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Greek Art
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Phidias taken merely as a text
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Phidias' personal history
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Phidias' peculiar excellences as a sculptor
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Definitions of the word "Art"
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Art's representation of ideas of beauty and grace
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The glory and dignity of art
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The connection of plastic with literary art
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Architecture, the first expression of art
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Peculiarities of Egyptian and Assyrian architecture
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Ancient temples, tombs, pyramids, and palaces
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General features of Grecian architecture
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The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders
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Simplicity and beauty of their proportions...
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The horizontal lines of Greek and the vertical lines of Gothic architecture
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Assyrian, Egyptian, and Indian sculpture
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Superiority of Greek sculpture
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Famous Grecian painters
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Decline of art among the Romans
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Art as seen in literature
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Artists as a class
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Art a refining influence rather than a moral power
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