3.5
The Lessons of History
ByPublisher Description
A concise survey of the culture and civilization of mankind, The Lessons of History is the result of a lifetime of research from Pulitzer Prize–winning historians Will and Ariel Durant.
With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own.
With their accessible compendium of philosophy and social progress, the Durants take us on a journey through history, exploring the possibilities and limitations of humanity over time. Juxtaposing the great lives, ideas, and accomplishments with cycles of war and conquest, the Durants reveal the towering themes of history and give meaning to our own.
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3.5
David
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“Recommended by Ray Dalio via Tim Ferriss and that succinctly says what I thought about it. Charlatan vibes throughout. A case study in the perils of writing a high level takeaway of human history while stuck in your own time. This is the perspective of a conservative homophobic misogynist preoccupied with the Cold War and eugenics. His conclusions reflect that. He also takes a narrow perspective, as if the lessons of history can only be drawn from the Mediterranean. And there is much begging the question - of course history goes in cycles if you allow yourself to define the periodicity of the cycle in whatever way suits you at the moment. Lessons are learned about the perils of “moral degradation” with examples taking hundreds of years to cause significant harm to the society, while he frets about the acute moral degradation of his day (only a few decades later we are beset by completely different issues).
But yet I am somewhat ambivalent. He pulls several good quotes and writes with wit. He wavers between grumpy comparing about the youth, and an admirable humility about his own prejudices. I don’t want to write off Durant, but this was not the best format for him, surely. (Also every comment made by his wife [they are limited] is funnier and more insightful than what he is saying.)”
About Will Durant
Will Durant (1885–1981) was awarded the Pulitzer Prize (1968) and the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1977). He spent more than fifty years writing his critically acclaimed eleven-volume series, The Story of Civilization (the later volumes written in conjunction with his wife, Ariel). A champion of human rights issues, such as the brotherhood of man and social reform, long before such issues were popular, Durant’s writing still educates and entertains readers around the world.
Other books by Will Durant
Ariel Durant
Will and Ariel Durant, after spending over fifty years completing the critically acclaimed series The Story of Civilization, were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1968. In 1977, the Durants were presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Champions of human rights and social reform, the Durants continue to educate and entertain readers the world over. For more information on their work, visit www.willdurant.com.
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