ABSTRACT
The progress of human civilization, which has its origins in the study of nature, is characterized by improvements in the conditions of life. A discovery made by an isolated individual can only become the property of humanity if there is a sufficiently large community to permit its dissemination. The migratory movements of peoples determine the changes in their cultural traditions. More particularly, migrating peoples may lose some of their tools or some of their practices and habits. Innovations tend to take root in a given place, from which they are spread to more distant areas. Thus, different civilizations are interconnected. (…)
All peoples are politically organized. The transition from a savage state to a more civilized state is related to the development of various forms of cooperation and association. There is thus a gradient in the way societies are politically organized. The modern state has evolved from the patriarchal family. Despotism opposes it. The history of natural peoples is the history of their wars. The goal is the complete extermination of their adversaries. To accomplish this, all means are good, even deceit and the non-respect of agreements. The governments of natural peoples are not confined to clearly defined boundaries: only the political centre is clearly situated. States are structured around a single power and the values shared by the individuals whom they organize. They are extended by migrations and conquest.
