"The main focus of Boutroux's thinking revolves around the problem of science and the meaning of natural laws. From 1874, the year of his thesis, De la Contingence des lois de la Nature (On the Contingency of the Laws of Nature), until his death, a little less than half a century, Boutroux developed and elaborated his critique of science, always insisting on it and basing his theories on freedom and religion, which form, one might say, the positive part of his philosophy."