, ▁but ▁it ▁is ▁surely ▁more ▁accurate ▁than ▁the ▁one ▁we ’ re ▁used ▁to , ▁and ▁it ▁implicitly ▁ex poses ▁the ▁fla ws ▁in ▁contemporary ▁political ▁ideas ▁that ▁ultimately ▁rest ▁on ▁a ▁narr ative ▁of ▁human ▁progress ▁and ▁on ▁the ▁ideal ▁of ▁the ▁city / n ation - state ." ▁ ▁Samuel ▁Mo yn ▁offers ▁a ▁mixed ▁review . ▁Mo yn ▁notes ▁that ▁Scott ' s ▁work ▁has ▁appe aled ▁to ▁many ▁critics ▁of ▁the ▁status ▁qu o , ▁from ▁the ▁Marx ist ▁left ▁to ▁the ▁libert arian ▁right . ▁Mo yn ▁pra ises ▁Scott ▁and ▁calls ▁the ▁book ▁" spark ling " ▁but ▁w onders ▁whether ▁Scott ▁is ▁jud ging ▁the ▁state ▁by ▁standards ▁that ▁make ▁sense ▁to ▁modern ▁residents ▁of ▁stable ▁states , ▁but ▁would ▁conf use ▁the ▁h unter - g ather ers ▁whose ▁passing ▁Scott ▁seems ▁to ▁m ourn . ▁Mo yn ▁writes : ▁“ That ▁Scott ▁presents ▁as ▁his ▁major ▁finding ▁that ▁e ons ▁separated ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁cultiv ation ▁and ▁the ▁rise ▁of ▁the ▁state ▁not ▁only ▁cut s ▁against ▁any ▁conclusion ▁that ▁the ▁path ways ▁into ▁state ▁bond age ▁were ▁in ev itable ; ▁it ▁also ▁goes ▁far ▁to ▁und erm ine ▁Scott ’ s ▁entire ▁out look .” ▁Mo yn ▁as ser ts ▁that ▁Scott ' s ▁world view ▁prevents ▁him ▁from ▁seeing ▁the ▁benefits ▁of ▁the ▁state , ▁or ▁the ▁state ' s ▁ability ▁to ▁change ▁under ▁dem ocr atic ▁pressure . ▁Mo yn ▁thinks ▁that ▁we ▁o we ▁the ▁ide als ▁Scott