Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Simon & Schuster (1968), Hardcover, 128 pages
Description
The authors devoted five decades to the study of world history and philosophy, culminating in the masterful eleven-volume Story of Civilization. In this compact summation of their work, Will and Ariel Durant share the vital and profound lessons of our collective past. Their perspective, gained after a lifetime of thinking and writing about the history of humankind, is an invaluable resource for us today. The rare archival recordings of the Durants in conversation, made from 1957-1977, illuminate our present condition and offer insightful guidance for the future.
User reviews
LibraryThing member StephenBarkley
When you need advice about your car, you talk to a mechanic. If you need financial advice, you speak with a banker. What should you do if you want to learn from history? Read this essay from the husband and wife duo that produced a massive 10 volume history of civilization!
The Lessons of History
In the last chapter, the authors questioned whether or not progress is real. While the point could be argued both ways, each age is richer for having that much more history to explore.
The Lessons of History
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meanders through a variety of topics: religion, morality, war, and race to name a few. While I obviously don’t agree with all of their conclusions—the chapter on race was unnerving, and they viewed religion as a purely natural phenomenon—they approached each topic with respect and a wealth of illustrative knowledge.In the last chapter, the authors questioned whether or not progress is real. While the point could be argued both ways, each age is richer for having that much more history to explore.
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LibraryThing member briandarvell
A neat little read. Lots of good ideas and little gems. Likely this is the type of book that upon rereading one would find many new pieces of information and thoughts that stand out. At only 100 pages it doesn’t take much to get through. Definitely I’ll reread at some point.
LibraryThing member keylawk
In Chapter I "Hesitations", the authors ask "Of what use have your studies been?" Is it possible that, after all, "history teaches us nothing, and that the immense past was only the wary rehearsal of the mistakes that the future is destined to make on a larger stage and scale?" [11]
They conclude,
Although beginning college as catholic communists, the authors have a libertarian background, and are famous for equanimity, while being more passionately liberty-loving than "institutionally" beholden historians. As they got older, they clearly recognized that liberty is a product of order not just freedom.
They conclude,
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"let it be our pride that we ourselves may put meaning into our lives" [102] instead of mourning where none may be.Although beginning college as catholic communists, the authors have a libertarian background, and are famous for equanimity, while being more passionately liberty-loving than "institutionally" beholden historians. As they got older, they clearly recognized that liberty is a product of order not just freedom.
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LibraryThing member cherrys-books
This series of 13 essays on the themes and underlying lessons of history was originally written as part of the authors' 11-volume The Story of Civilization (1935-75). The Durants begin by summarizing periods and trends in history. They examine morals and draw conclusions by looking into changes in
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economics, politics, military customs, and even geographic location. Russ Holcomb reads these essays in a clear, pleasant voice, bringing life and interest to this brief overview of 5000 years of history. Show Less
LibraryThing member whitaker
With thoughtful brevity, Will & Ariel Durant present the essential information to make sense of our time together on Earth.
LibraryThing member edspicer
I will recomend this (book) because it makes you look to the past in a different way and think about things you never thought (about). Q4P2 AHS/Xacobe G
LibraryThing member MauriceRogevMemorial
The lessons of history by Will and Ariel Durant. 1968 , 102pages
This short book is an essay on important concepts of history.
It has chapters on History of the earth and how biology, race, character ,morals, religion , economics, government and war.
The writer is well versed in the classics and says
It points out that socialism existed in the ancient world Assyria, Egypt, in Rome Julius Caesar was assassinated because of his socialist policies which challenged vested interests. It also had different repeated periods in China. Free markets have always led to money being concentrated in the hands of a few.
Many violent revolutions have taken place but instead of sharing weath they have destroyed it.
Religion has had strong and weak periods and technology as well as leaders have made changes.
But the conclusion shows that every civilization has growth and decay for many different reasons.
This short book is an essay on important concepts of history.
It has chapters on History of the earth and how biology, race, character ,morals, religion , economics, government and war.
The writer is well versed in the classics and says
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in 3421 years there have been less than 268 years without war. In these terms the European Union deserves the Nobel Peace prize as the have kept peace in Europe for over 65 years.It points out that socialism existed in the ancient world Assyria, Egypt, in Rome Julius Caesar was assassinated because of his socialist policies which challenged vested interests. It also had different repeated periods in China. Free markets have always led to money being concentrated in the hands of a few.
Many violent revolutions have taken place but instead of sharing weath they have destroyed it.
Religion has had strong and weak periods and technology as well as leaders have made changes.
But the conclusion shows that every civilization has growth and decay for many different reasons.
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LibraryThing member Lyndatrue
How remarkable to stumble across this slim volume; it made the day perfect. This is the final volume, a commentary (so to speak) of the truly remarkable work of Will and Ariel Durant. I'm grateful to have found it.
No matter how small the bookshelf, this is a book that belongs on it.
No matter how small the bookshelf, this is a book that belongs on it.
LibraryThing member willszal
The premise of this book is based on the idea that we can develop a worldview from looking back on history. I don't agree that this is the case. Our worldview rests on our experiences and our values. History is like the future; it contains an infinite number of possibilities. When we weave history
To get specific, Durant claims that history is the story of competition. And yet it is just as much the story of cooperation. Or maybe even of indifference. It's all based on the values of the historian.
Just as stock traders say, past performance has little relationship with future returns. Things happened a certain way in the past [most of which isn't recorded or known]. They will happen similarly and differently in the future, in ways we can't predict.
History does have utility. If you work in finance, learning about the history of finance can help you understand the present arrangement of things. But history can't decide our values for us, and determining our values might be the most important aspect of our lives.
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into a comprehensible narrative, we're selecting fodder to support or refute a worldview. But history just is. Ultimately, it's not a willing party in each of our schemes.To get specific, Durant claims that history is the story of competition. And yet it is just as much the story of cooperation. Or maybe even of indifference. It's all based on the values of the historian.
Just as stock traders say, past performance has little relationship with future returns. Things happened a certain way in the past [most of which isn't recorded or known]. They will happen similarly and differently in the future, in ways we can't predict.
History does have utility. If you work in finance, learning about the history of finance can help you understand the present arrangement of things. But history can't decide our values for us, and determining our values might be the most important aspect of our lives.
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LibraryThing member deldevries
A very condensed version of the authors' writing. Has some insights that I found interesting, but overall the summary format doesn't work that well to be very informative or interesting.
LibraryThing member starkravingmad
Highly insightful analysis that ties history to predictions, in an informal way
LibraryThing member themulhern
Short. There's a "lesson" in every chapter. The language dates it a bit, very few people use the word "homosexualism" anymore. In fact, it's so unused these days that LibraryThing's spell checker wouldn't leave it alone. You would think that a smart spell-checker would know enough to avoid
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spell-checking anything between quotation marks. Show Less
LibraryThing member tuckerresearch
Will Durant, in his youth, flirted with socialism and communism (as did his wife too, I'm sure), but over the course of his long life and his long study of Western history settled into a standard, mild mid-twentieth-century progressive liberalism tinged with much conservativish classical
It is a short book, easy to read, and easily written. Old copies may be found cheap, I think I got my first edition hardcover for $3. History grad students these days have probably never heard of the Durants and would probably think this book's pronouncements childish, but the book is not childish or out-of-date (though dated). It is a thought-provoking and interesting read for the layman interested in broad patterns in history.
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liberalism. Thus Durant's view of history and it's lessons is vaguely Whiggish and progressive, but tinged with a fatalistic belief that mankind can be and often is evil and degenerating too. Thus eras of progress will be checked by war, periods of paganism will follow periods of puritanism, freedom will fight with order and order with freedom, conservatives need radicals and radicals need conservatives, and the like. Some of his thoughts seem quite dated, the chapter on race could be very misconstrued nowadays. Modern progressive liberalism holds that nothing good can come from morals, religion, or capitalism, so they would immediately hate this book. However, more laissez-faire conservatives would disdain the insistence the Durants place on the benefits of unionism, the welfare state, and the like. Modern progressive liberals would immediately wretch at their notion that freedom and equality are diametrically opposed because inequality inevitably results because men have differing talents, desires, and work ethics. There is much here I may agree with, but there are many ideas I do not like. I do agree with the notion that mankind is pretty much the same through history, with the same motivations and foibles, it is just the society and technology that has changed.It is a short book, easy to read, and easily written. Old copies may be found cheap, I think I got my first edition hardcover for $3. History grad students these days have probably never heard of the Durants and would probably think this book's pronouncements childish, but the book is not childish or out-of-date (though dated). It is a thought-provoking and interesting read for the layman interested in broad patterns in history.
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Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1968
ISBN
none