SOURCE: "Brooks Adams on World Utopia," in Current History, Vol. 6, No. 29, January, 1944, pp. 1-6.

In the following excerpt, Barnes examines the intellectual background of Adams's The Law of Civilization and Decay.

The air is full of planning for the future happy state of mankind. Glimpses of Utopia are everywhere in evidence. Glib and hopeful books on "The United States of the World" are being written by Clement Wood and others. The speedy installation of a strong and durable international political order and plenty of milk for the Hottentots are being freely predicted.

Personally, all this suits me perfectly and I hope that these rosy dreams may quickly come true. But we all want to know what the prospects are that they may do so. Actually, the world was never in a more chaotic and unpredictable condition. We may attain Utopia, but it is also possible that we may...