This is a singular book, an atypical manual. A manual whose object is halfway between the history of political thought, philosophy and cultural history: a history of ideologies. Ideologies that take, in this manual, the form of a complex cultural system that encompasses all those forms, material or not, that give meaning to our reality. Thus, the authors analyze the different conceptions that, in the manner of Dilthey's weltanschauung, have marked the future of humanity and its historical circumstances. We are, therefore, facing an authentic world history of ideas and concepts, understanding this not only in its cultural aspect, but also in its social, political or religious aspects, whether temporal or spiritual. The great quality of this extensive and ambitious manual is supported by the management work of François Chàtelet and Gerard Mairet, who brought together a whole host of prestigious specialists to produce it. Appeared on the French market in 1978, this work has become, over the years, a classic manual of obligatory reference; a work that, to this day, has not yet been surpassed.