In the most monumental study of the history of civilization for several generation, the author describes the grand sweep of history in the style of Gibbon, Toynbee and Spengler. He looks for the underlying patterns rather than the shorter-term political, economic or social movements. His unique interpretation is, firstly, to see religion as the basis for civilization rather than one element in its cultural expression. Saints, mystics, gurus, prophets, religious ...
