Excerpt from The Three Ages of Progress The book, presented by Father Devos to readers of Church history under the name of "Three Ages of Progres," is not a chronicle of events as its size might suggest, but it is a series of tableaux of the principal ecclesiastical events which have occurred in the world since the coming of Christ with an interspersion of philosophical considerations, from a Catholic standpoint, of their causes and their effects. The conspiracy against truth which originated with the Centuriators of Magdeburg has, during this century, received many mortal blows, not only at the hands of Catholics like de Maistre, Lingard, Stolberg, Hurter, Cantu, Rohrbacher, Veuillot, Gorini, Wouters, Jungmann, Brownson, Janssen, Parsons, Pastor and others, but from non-Catholics as well, such as Roscoe, Voigt, Gregorovius, Guizot and many more in the old country, and it is actually being pulverized by Starbuck of Andover on our side of the ocean. It is time therefore that Catholics take a more decided stand against the calumnies of their enemies, not only by defending the Church as they have always done, but by making positive moves against the hostile lines, carrying the war into Africa itself. This has become easier indeed since the illustrious Pontiff who so marvelously continues to hold the rudder of Peter's bark has proclaimed the "open door policy" in regard to the rich archives of the Vatican. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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The idea of progress from the Enlightenment to postmodernism is still very much with us. In intellectual discourse, journals, popular magazines, and radio and talk shows, the debate between those who are "progressivists" and those who are "declinists" is as spirited as it was in the late seventeenth century. In History of the Idea of Progress, Robert Nisbet traces the idea of progress from its origins in Greek, Roman, and medieval civilizations to modern times. It is a masterful frame of reference for understanding the present world. Nisbet asserts there are two fundamental building blocks necessary to Western doctrines of human advancement: the idea of growth, and the idea of necessity. He sees Christianity as a key element in both secular and spiritual evolution, for it conveys all the ingredients of the modern idea of progress: the advancement of the human race in time, a single time frame for all the peoples and epochs of the past and present, the conception of time as linear, and the envisagement of the future as having a Utopian end. In his new introduction, Nisbet shows why the idea of progress remains of critical importance to studies of social evolution and natural history. He provides a contemporary basis for many disciplines, including sociology, economics, philosophy, religion, politics, and science. History of the Idea of Progress continues to be a major resource for scholars in all these areas.

Jeffrey D. Sachs is one of the world's most perceptive and original analysts of global development. In this major new work he presents a compelling and practical framework for how global citizens can use a holistic way forward to address the seemingly intractable worldwide problems of persistent extreme poverty, environmental degradation, and political-economic injustice: sustainable development. Sachs offers readers, students, activists, environmentalists, and policy makers the tools, metrics, and practical pathways they need to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Far more than a rhetorical exercise, this book is designed to inform, inspire, and spur action. Based on Sachs's twelve years as director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, his thirteen years advising the United Nations secretary-general on the Millennium Development Goals, and his recent presentation of these ideas in a popular online course, The Age of Sustainable Development is a landmark publication and clarion call for all who care about our planet and global justice.