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The Lessons of History

The Lessons of History

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  • Author：Will Durant
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Summary

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。

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Reviews

Wafaa Wasfi ，

كتاب سهل وبسيط بشكل رائع

Stephen ，

Interesting collections of observations and I like the premise that you can arrive at conclusions about humanity following the scientific method or observation （in his case observation via history）。 Many of his observations seem dated but in a way that also sounds timeless。 He's critical of race theory， but gives it intellectual air， which is something many people are afraid to do。 Likewise socialism vs capitalism。 The thing I liked in these discussions is not that some of them rang tinny to the Interesting collections of observations and I like the premise that you can arrive at conclusions about humanity following the scientific method or observation （in his case observation via history）。 Many of his observations seem dated but in a way that also sounds timeless。 He's critical of race theory， but gives it intellectual air， which is something many people are afraid to do。 Likewise socialism vs capitalism。 The thing I liked in these discussions is not that some of them rang tinny to the modern ear， which they absolutely do， but that all ideas were considered and dispatched with argument （whether you agree or disagree）。 There was none of the modern shouting down or cancel culture logic， but an academic approach， albeit a summary one。 。。。more

Szymon Bialkowski ，

Delightful short read。

Pramod Pant ，

Written in 1968， this small book attempted too much of generalisation。 The result is that the conclusions （lessons） drawn are frequently at variance with what happened during the last half a century。

Chris ，

With the exception of the （timely） red scare rants and （innocuous） attacks on modern art， this is one of the best “summary of history and its patterns” books I’ve read。 Thorough， concise， and broad-scoped， all at the same time。 A quick read， coming from authors who took 50 years to write a dozen-volume compendium on all of history。

Heath ，

I started this book before I looked at the date。 I thought， as I was reading it， that it was a product of the first half of the 20th Century。 I was surprised when I looked and realized it was published in 1969。

Haydn Martin ，

History is tricky。 On one hand， there seem to be some patterns （what this book is about）。 Empires rise and fall， revolutionaries usurp the ruling class only to become them， whatever race/religion/nation that has the ascendancy fancies themselves superior， ideas of utopia result in dystopia， etc。， etc。， etc。History does not repeat but it does look oddly familiar。 We seem to be able to determine the outline。 We can see the structure and almost see what's going to happen， only the details remain un History is tricky。 On one hand， there seem to be some patterns （what this book is about）。 Empires rise and fall， revolutionaries usurp the ruling class only to become them， whatever race/religion/nation that has the ascendancy fancies themselves superior， ideas of utopia result in dystopia， etc。， etc。， etc。History does not repeat but it does look oddly familiar。 We seem to be able to determine the outline。 We can see the structure and almost see what's going to happen， only the details remain unclear。 The Lessons of History thoroughly explores this idea and extracts the key themes visible in recorded history。The authors close by asking if we have really made any progress after all。 They insightfully highlight the flaws in using happiness as the measurement of this progress。 All children tend to be happier than their parents， does this mean we should spend our lives trying to revert to this child-like state？ I don't think so。They elect to judge humanity by what extent the average person has control over their lives。 They conclude that by this metric， progress has been remarkable。 A hunter-gatherer basically had the choice between picking strawberries or raspberries and choosing to mate with either John or Harry。 A Roman citizen could be a shop-keeper， a farmer， or a soldier。 A poor child in Victorian England could work in a factory or up a chimney （or run away from home and join a pick-pocketing gang）。 Choices， until very recently， were limited。Today we live in a world of infinite possibilities。 Consider the fact that the probability of a tribal inhabitant of South America becoming the Emporer of Rome was less than 0。 Today， a child born in the middle of nowhere in Mongolia has a visible path to becoming the richest and/or most powerful person in the world。 But I'm not so sure this is the right metric。 As opportunity becomes more and more equally distributed， society becomes more and more unequal。 The further and further we move towards a meritocracy， the more small differences in ability matter。 Because of the multiplicative nature of modern systems， small differences in initial conditions have out-sized consequences。 A hunter-gatherer could do what they want， when they wanted。 They had little to worry about other than feeding themselves。 Infinite opportunity is accompanied by infinite choices and infinite worries。 We are running out of excuses not to "succeed"， which is depressing。 。。。more

Khaled Elgeshy ，

I understand that the authors are top notch historians。 But the presented book is more like their opinions not historical facts。 Hence， it is debatable。 In one occasion， the authors mentioned that in case of a major conflict， USA will only be saved by the church。 He mentioned that without providing any historical precedence！ Actually， it was the opposite that happened in Germany after WWII and it was something else that happened in Japan and Korea after WWII and the civil war！ Then the authors c I understand that the authors are top notch historians。 But the presented book is more like their opinions not historical facts。 Hence， it is debatable。 In one occasion， the authors mentioned that in case of a major conflict， USA will only be saved by the church。 He mentioned that without providing any historical precedence！ Actually， it was the opposite that happened in Germany after WWII and it was something else that happened in Japan and Korea after WWII and the civil war！ Then the authors contradicted themselves by providing China as an example saying that China was saved after major conflicts by using communism as an alternative to religion！ I say may be what can be our savior not religion but using justice and equality as a fate/goal for themselves！I openly condemn their use of a constitutionally rasict state as an example for successful leadership to overcome obstacles！ Isreal commited war crims against Egyptians in their attempt to "overcome obstacles" just a year earlier to writing that book and stole lands from other nations！ Using such a state for an aforementioned example seeems counterintuitive to say the least！Again， the authors assumed that if a case happened in Europe， then it should hapoen else where！ Assuming the scientific progress will be accompanied by secularism happened in Europe， but it did not happen in the Islamic gold age！ Scientific progress was encouraged and wellcomed as a part of civilization that was initiated by religion！ Finally， how the authros stated that hot weather would permit laziness and prohibite civilizations！ How about south east Asia。 How about Egypt， Kush and Carthage！ I genuinely invite him to visit any western museums that are filled with stolen artifacts from "non-existent" civilizations！ 。。。more

Mico Go ，

Will definitely re-read this in the future - lots of food for thought。

Abhishek Sachdeva ，

Too many new keywords that you won't know/remember later on。 Liked a few core concepts such as democracy， religion。 Too many new keywords that you won't know/remember later on。 Liked a few core concepts such as democracy， religion。 。。。more

Công Nguyễn ，

An old book filled with wisdom。

Sandeep Reddy ，

One book I’ll probably have to come back each year to learn more and more from。 The bird’s eye view of human history that I always wanted to read。

Genie Nguyễn ，

Beautiful yet scintillating， contemplative writing。

Alex McLane ，

The Lessons of History gets to the crux of what makes history as quickly and skilfully as any book you might find。 The book is brought to life with Will and Arielle Durant's vibrant vignettes and stories as well as their masterful command of language and vocabulary; through historical examples from East and West， from times ancient and modern， the Durants have managed to weave in engaging storytelling whilst distilling the most essential lessons of history into a short read of only 100 pages。 If The Lessons of History gets to the crux of what makes history as quickly and skilfully as any book you might find。 The book is brought to life with Will and Arielle Durant's vibrant vignettes and stories as well as their masterful command of language and vocabulary; through historical examples from East and West， from times ancient and modern， the Durants have managed to weave in engaging storytelling whilst distilling the most essential lessons of history into a short read of only 100 pages。 If nothing else， you should walk away from the book having been reminded of many of the key historical inflection points and seminal works of philosophy that have shaped so much of the world we live in today。 The book does date itself at time—where some of Durants' predictions reflect eerily on the events of today， other reflections can seem obsolete and dated。 Also， because the book addresses so many topics， transitions between one topic and another can at times seem a little abrupt; I often found myself hoping for further analysis。 In many cases， the book also left me with more questions than answers—which I suppose is nature of books about history。 In their introduction titled "Hesitations，" the Durants write， "History smiles at all attempts to force its flow into theoretical patterns or logical grooves; it plays havoc with our generalizations， breaks all our rules; history is baroque。" It was in this "baroque" spirit of history that I often found myself ruminating over history's contradictions and incongruences， its messiness and unpredictability。Overall， the book is more than worth a read。 It is packed with lessons illuminating our present condition and filled with vibrant stories and strong language; The Lessons of History is great commemoration of our common human heritage。 。。。more

Ty Lower ，

I read this to get a taste of Durant。 Turns out he was just as blinded by the racism of his age as everyone else。 It's a quick read that quickly shows the reader what that generation thought of history and their role in it。 Read it if you're young and unfamiliar with early 20th-century western historians; otherwise， don't waste your time。 I read this to get a taste of Durant。 Turns out he was just as blinded by the racism of his age as everyone else。 It's a quick read that quickly shows the reader what that generation thought of history and their role in it。 Read it if you're young and unfamiliar with early 20th-century western historians; otherwise， don't waste your time。 。。。more

Rory Lilley ，

Really didn’t understand this book。 Written a long time ago so spared the 1 star。

Lanre Dahunsi ，

“The present is the past rolled up for action， and the past is the present unrolled for understanding”“Civilization is social order promoting cultural creation。 Four elements constitute it: economic provision， political organization， moral tradition， and the pursuit of knowledge and the arts。 It begins where chaos and insecurity end。 For when fear is overcome， curiosity and constructiveness are free， and man passes by natural impulse towards the understanding and embellishment of life。” （Will Du “The present is the past rolled up for action， and the past is the present unrolled for understanding”“Civilization is social order promoting cultural creation。 Four elements constitute it: economic provision， political organization， moral tradition， and the pursuit of knowledge and the arts。 It begins where chaos and insecurity end。 For when fear is overcome， curiosity and constructiveness are free， and man passes by natural impulse towards the understanding and embellishment of life。” （Will Durant， Story of Civilization， pg 1， vol。 1）”The historian always oversimplifies， and hastily selects a manageable minority of facts and faces out of a crowd of souls and events whose multitudinous complexity he can never quite embrace or comprehend。History and the Earth“History is but the record of crimes and misfortunes。 – VoltaireHistory is subject to geology。 Every day the sea encroaches somewhere upon the land， or the land upon the sea; cities disappear under the water， and sunken cathedrals ring their melancholy bells。 Mountains rise and fall in the rhythm of emergence and erosion; rivers swell and flood， or dry up， or change their course; valleys become deserts， and isthmuses become straits。 To the geologic eye all the surface of the earth is a fluid form， and man moves upon it as insecurely as Peter walking on the waves to Christ。Geography is the matrix of history， its nourishing mother and disciplining home。 Its rivers， lakes， oases， and oceans draw settlers to their shores， for water is the life of organisms and towns， and offers inexpensive roads for transport and trade。Biology and HistoryHistory is a fragment of biology: the life of man is a portion of the vicissitudes of organisms on land and sea。 Sometimes， wandering alone in the woods on a summer day， we hear or see the movement of a hundred species of flying， leaping， creeping， crawling， burrowing things。The first biological lesson of history is that life is competition。 Competition is not only the life of trade， it is the trade of life—peaceful when food abounds， violent when the mouths outrun the food。Animals eat one another without qualm; civilized men consume one another by due process of law。 Co-operation is real， and increases with social development， but mostly because it is a tool and form of competition; we co-operate in our group—our family， community， club， church， party， “race，” or nation—in order to strengthen our group in its competition with other groups。We are subject to the processes and trials of evolution， to the struggle for existence and the survival of the fittest to survive。 If some of us seem to escape the strife or the trials it is because our group protects us; but that group itself must meet the tests of survival。The second biological lesson of history is that life is selection。 In the competition for food or mates or power some organisms succeed and some fail。 In the struggle for existence some individuals are better equipped than others to meet the tests of survival。Race and HistoryThe role of race in history is rather preliminary than creative。 Varied stocks， entering some locality from diverse directions at divers times， mingle their blood， traditions， and ways with one another or with the existing population， like two diverse pools of genes coming together in sexual reproduction。 Such an ethnic mixture may in the course of centuries produce a new type， even a new people; so Celts， Romans， Angles， Saxons， Jutes， Danes， and Normans fused to produce Englishmen。 It is not the race that makes the civilization， it is the civilization that makes the people: circumstances geographical， economic， and political create a culture， and the culture creates a human type。History is color-blind and can develop a civilization （in any favorable environment） under almost any skin。Character and HistorySociety is founded not on the ideals but on the nature of man， and the constitution of man rewrites the constitutions of states。Intellect is therefore a vital force in history， but it can also be a dissolvent and destructive power。 Out of every hundred new ideas ninety-nine or more will probably be inferior to the traditional responses which they propose to replace。 No one man， however brilliant or well-informed， can come in one lifetime to such fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society， for these are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experiment in the laboratory of history。History in the large is the conflict of minorities; the majority applauds the victor and supplies the human material of social experiment。Morals and HistoryMorals are the rules by which a society exhorts （as laws are the rules by which it seeks to compel） its members and associations to behavior consistent with its order， security， and growth。 So for sixteen centuries the Jewish enclaves in Christendom maintained their continuity and internal peace by a strict and detailed moral code， almost without help from the state and its laws。A little knowledge of history stresses the variability of moral codes， and concludes that they are negligible because they differ in time and place， and sometimes contradict each other。 A larger knowledge stresses the universality of moral codes， and concludes to their necessity。Moral codes differ because they adjust themselves to historical and environmental conditions。 If we divide economic history into three stages—hunting， agriculture， industry—we may expect that the moral code of one stage will be changed in the next。Religion and HistoryReligion does not seem at first to have had any connection with morals。 Apparently （for we are merely guessing， or echoing Petronius， who echoed Lucretius） “it was fear that first made the gods” —fear of hidden forces in the earth， rivers， oceans， trees， winds， and sky。 Religion became the propitiatory worship of these forces through offerings， sacrifice， incantation， and prayer。”One lesson of history is that religion has many lives， and a habit of resurrection。 How often in the past have God and religion died and been reborn！ Ikhnaton used all the powers of a pharaoh to destroy the religion of Amon; within a year of Ikhnaton’s death the religion of Amon was restored。I do not know what the heart of a rascal may be; I know what is in the heart of an honest man; it is horrible。” – Joseph de Maistre。“As long as there is poverty there will be gods。”Economics and HistoryHistory， according to Karl Marx， is economics in action—the contest， among individuals， groups， classes， and states， for food， fuel， materials， and economic power。 Political forms， religious institutions， cultural creations， are all rooted in economic realities。The experience of the past leaves little doubt that every economic system must sooner or later rely upon some form of the profit motive to stir individuals and groups to productivity。 Substitutes like slavery， police supervision， or ideological enthusiasm prove too unproductive， too expensive， or too transient。 Normally and generally men are judged by their ability to produce—except in war， when they are ranked according to their ability to destroy。In progressive societies the concentration may reach a point where the strength of number in the many poor rivals the strength of ability in the few rich; then the unstable equilibrium generates a critical situation， which history has diversely met by legislation redistributing wealth or by revolution distributing poverty。Socialism and HistoryThe struggle of socialism against capitalism is part of the historic rhythm in the concentration and dispersion of wealth。 The capitalist， of course， has fulfilled a creative function in history: he has gathered the savings of the people into productive capital by the promise of dividends or interest; he has financed the mechanization of industry and agriculture， and the rationalization of distribution; and the result has been such a flow of goods from producer to consumer as history has never seen before。Capitalism retains the stimulus of private property， free enterprise， and competition， and produces a rich supply of goods; high taxation， falling heavily upon the upper classes， enables the government to provide for a self-limited population unprecedented services in education， health， and recreation。 The fear of capitalism has compelled socialism to widen freedom， and the fear of socialism has compelled capitalism to increase equality。 East is West and West is East， and soon the twain will meet。Government and HistoryThe prime task of government is to establish order; organized central force is the sole alternative to incalculable and disruptive force in private hands。 Power naturally converges to a center， for it is ineffective when divided， diluted， and spread。Monarchy seems to be the most natural kind of government， since it applies to the group the authority of the father in a family or of the chieftain in a warrior band。 If we were to judge forms of government from their prevalence and duration in history we should have to give the palm to monarchy; democracies， by contrast， have been hectic interludes。The only real revolution is in the enlightenment of the mind and the improvement of character， the only real emancipation is individual， and the only real revolutionists are philosophers and saints。The excessive increase of anything causes a reaction in the opposite direction;… dictatorship naturally arises out of democracy， and the most aggravated form of tyranny and slavery out of the most extreme form of liberty。Democracy is the most difficult of all forms of government， since it requires the widest spread of intelligence， and we forgot to make ourselves intelligent when we made ourselves sovereign。 Education has spread， but intelligence is perpetually retarded by the fertility of the simple。 A cynic remarked that “you mustn’t enthrone ignorance just because there is so much of it。” However， ignorance is not long enthroned， for it lends itself to manipulation by the forces that mold public opinion。 It may be true， as Lincoln supposed， that “you can’t fool all the people all the time，” but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country。History and WarWar is one of the constants of history， and has not diminished with civilization or democracy。 In the last 3，421 years of recorded history only 268 have seen no war。 We have acknowledged war as at present the ultimate form of competition and natural selection in the human species。The causes of war are the same as the causes of competition among individuals: acquisitiveness， pugnacity， and pride; the desire for food， land， materials， fuels， mastery。 The state has our instincts without our restraints。 The individual submits to restraints laid upon him by morals and laws， and agrees to replace combat with conference， because the state guarantees him basic protection in his life， property， and legal rights。 The state itself acknowledges no substantial restraints， either because it is strong enough to defy any interference with its will or because there is no superstate to offer it basic protection， and no international law or moral code wielding effective force。 The Ten Commandments must be silent when self-preservation is at stake。 。。。more

Iulian Andronachi ，

De la inceput am inteles ca va face parte din cărțile preferate， dar sfârșitul a încununat opera。O cărticică foarte mică， plină de idei geniale și ușor de citit。 Autorul comprimă "lecțiile" istoriei in doar cateva capitole。În urma lecturii sigur îți vei forma noi viziuni referitor la importanța istoriei。（și care-i de fapt senulul ei） De la inceput am inteles ca va face parte din cărțile preferate， dar sfârșitul a încununat opera。O cărticică foarte mică， plină de idei geniale și ușor de citit。 Autorul comprimă "lecțiile" istoriei in doar cateva capitole。În urma lecturii sigur îți vei forma noi viziuni referitor la importanța istoriei。（și care-i de fapt senulul ei） 。。。more

Paul Schmidt ，

Main takeaways:- The greatest lesson of history is that man is tough。 He is resilient; he will persevere。 True realism is optimism。- History， as usually written， is quite different as usually lived。 The historian records the exceptional because it is interesting。 And yet history is the only true philosophy or psychology。- The value of religion。 There is no significant example in history before our time of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion。- The ubiquity of Main takeaways:- The greatest lesson of history is that man is tough。 He is resilient; he will persevere。 True realism is optimism。- History， as usually written， is quite different as usually lived。 The historian records the exceptional because it is interesting。 And yet history is the only true philosophy or psychology。- The value of religion。 There is no significant example in history before our time of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion。- The ubiquity of religion。 “As long as there is poverty， there will be gods。” Human beings need some consolation and inspiration for hope。- Human nature is unchanged， but the place at which he begins is ever growing。 “In short， the pedestal on which we are born grows over the years; we are the same at birth that we used to be [same human nature unchanged]， but in a sense we progress with the rise of the pedestal of the social heritage。。。。 I always feel awe stricken when I think about how many things the past has offered me， how rich is this gift it puts at my door when I emerge from the womb。”- The tradition of rebellion。 “If there’s one thing we ought to learn from history， it is that every generation rebels against the preceding one - and， therefore， the preceding one should not take it too seriously。 It’s traditional that the young should rebel against the old， and - as Ariel said - it’s natural and desirable。”Highlights: - 14:15 - “History is the only true philosophy and the only true psychology。” （Napoleon on St。 Helena）。 Others studies may tell us how he might behave or should behave; history tells us how he has behaved for 6，000 years。 One who knows that record is protected in large measure against the delusions and disillusionments of his time。- 23:54 - The greatest lesson of history is that man is tough。 He is resilient; he will persevere。 True realism is optimism。- 37:20 - The first biological lesson is that life is competition。- 38:47 - The second biological lesson is that life is selection。- 41:30 - The third biological lesson is the necessity to breed。- 1:38:50 - History， as usually written， is quite different as usually lived。 The historian records the exceptional because it is interesting。 - 1:48:00 - Virtue as a defined by the necessity of survival。 （What was virtuous back then， like excessive sexual activity， is no longer necessary to survival， and is therefore no longer virtuous。）- 1:58:45 - In historical （not theological） terms， sin is relevant only in the context of the individual vs the group， individualistic instincts vs group instincts。- 2:20:33 - “There is no significant example in history before our time of a society successfully maintaining moral life without the aid of religion。”- 2:21:33 - “As long as there is poverty， there will be gods。” Human beings need some consolation and inspiration for hope。- 2:38:20 - Marx: “History is economics in action。”- 4:17:00 - The mature mind shouldn’t fear decay （whether of life or of country） since he can see it’s the natural order of life。- 4:51:40 - “In short， the pedestal on which we are born grows over the years; we are the same at birth that we used to be [same human nature unchanged]， but in a sense we progress with the rise of the pedestal of the social heritage。。。。 I always feel awe stricken when I think about how many things the past has offered me， how rich is this gift it puts at my door when I emerge from the womb。”- 4:53:00 - The heart of Durant: the value of heritage in humanity’s growing prospering- 4:56:45 - History sees the child as a product of a million years。- 5:33:23 - “If there’s one thing we ought to learn from history， it is that every generation rebels against the preceding one - and， therefore， the preceding one should not take it too seriously。 It’s traditional that the young should rebel against the old， and - as Ariel said - it’s natural and desirable。” 。。。more

Kennedy Udechukwu ，

Great book to read and exceptional forward minded thinking in display。 However it is still a tough read and many parts of it are dry and long winded

Christian ，

very good look at humankind across history under different viewpoints。

Ronald Basin ，

Excellent overview If you’re looking for the right reason to read the longer series， this is it。 Was a real joy to read。

Kenyu Ishikawa ，

I started reading this book just for school since I thought it will be easy reading， but 120 pages are just not enough for so many years of history。 Half the book is a bibliography。 I felt lost a couple of times。 Still， I was able to find some important lessons for my life through the process。 It answered some of my interesting historical questions。 It briefly summarizes the history of biology， race， character， morals， religion， economics， socialism， government， war， growth， decay， and progress， I started reading this book just for school since I thought it will be easy reading， but 120 pages are just not enough for so many years of history。 Half the book is a bibliography。 I felt lost a couple of times。 Still， I was able to find some important lessons for my life through the process。 It answered some of my interesting historical questions。 It briefly summarizes the history of biology， race， character， morals， religion， economics， socialism， government， war， growth， decay， and progress， alongside the authors’ philosophies。 What would our life look like without what happened before we were born？ I would give this book a read again later in my life。 。。。more

Matan ，

It's a book of succinct and thoughtful conclusions about history: sounds risky and problematic。 But the Durantes are humble， smart， and know their stuff， plus have a sneaky and incisive sense of humor， so the result is a truly impressive and accessible gateway to History with a capital H。 It's a book of succinct and thoughtful conclusions about history: sounds risky and problematic。 But the Durantes are humble， smart， and know their stuff， plus have a sneaky and incisive sense of humor， so the result is a truly impressive and accessible gateway to History with a capital H。 。。。more

Javier Lorenzana ，

don't know why i didn't read this before don't know why i didn't read this before 。。。more

Stuart Enkey ，

Interesting high level summaries。 I think most of what Ariel and Will say holds up well。

Yaroslav Shevchuk ，

That's a nice overview of how various products and forms of human activity influence the course of history。 Quite a demanding read though， cause the author makes a lot of analogies just throwing in hundreds of names of historic figures， a big part of which were barely known to me， and some of them I've never heard of。I'd enjoy it more if the book provided more historic context and introductions。 That's a nice overview of how various products and forms of human activity influence the course of history。 Quite a demanding read though， cause the author makes a lot of analogies just throwing in hundreds of names of historic figures， a big part of which were barely known to me， and some of them I've never heard of。I'd enjoy it more if the book provided more historic context and introductions。 。。。more

Medema ，

This book really opens your mind and eyes。 It makes you look differently at the curent events and， it put me in another perspective of life。

Dylan ，

[dnf @ 20%]I went in expecting to disagree with the authors but still appreciate the book for its important place in the history of history。 I often learn interesting trivia at least from Great Books and Men sort of historians even while rolling my eyes at their framing。 This book， however， is remarkably lacking in facts or examples。 The impression I get is that the Durant's thought that their credibility from having written such a huge world history relieved them from having to provide empirica [dnf @ 20%]I went in expecting to disagree with the authors but still appreciate the book for its important place in the history of history。 I often learn interesting trivia at least from Great Books and Men sort of historians even while rolling my eyes at their framing。 This book， however， is remarkably lacking in facts or examples。 The impression I get is that the Durant's thought that their credibility from having written such a huge world history relieved them from having to provide empirical support for their various sweeping claims。 While they are able to turn a good phrase， these proto-evolutionary psychology aphorisms the Durants serve up are so lacking in textual support that I don't see a reason to finish the book。 。。。more

Humaira Ali Khan ，

Review Time 🌸Book: The Lessons of HistoryAuthors: Will and Ariel DurantGenre: HistoryPage: 128About authors:Will James Durant:Will was a historian， philosopher， and writer。 He was born on November 5， 1885， in America， best known for his 11 volumes book series named "The story of civilization"。 Ariel Durant:Ariel was a writer and researcher who was a Russian-born American。 She was the wife of Will Durant and co-author of " The story of civilization"。 This husband-wife duo won the Pulitzer Prize a Review Time 🌸Book: The Lessons of HistoryAuthors: Will and Ariel DurantGenre: HistoryPage: 128About authors:Will James Durant:Will was a historian， philosopher， and writer。 He was born on November 5， 1885， in America， best known for his 11 volumes book series named "The story of civilization"。 Ariel Durant:Ariel was a writer and researcher who was a Russian-born American。 She was the wife of Will Durant and co-author of " The story of civilization"。 This husband-wife duo won the Pulitzer Prize award for their work。Review: "The real history of man is in the lasting contribution made by geniuses to the sum of human civilization and culture。"~Will DurantThis book is a succinct history of the culture and civilization of humankind。 This book us written by a husband-wife duo Ariel and Will Durant。 In this book， they wrote their observations and opinions as a historian。 They wrote about lessons （not events） of history。 The book talked about the role of biology， race， morals， religion， economics， socialism， and government in history。 The authors put their perspectives which they learned from history。 They wrote that our knowledge of any past event is incomplete。 Most history is guessing and the rest is prejudice。 I'm age with this。 We learned most of the historical events from biased sources and we are not 100% sure about the authenticity of the events。The point that impressed me the most was that the present is merely the past rolled up into this present moment。 Yes， history repeats itself。 Another important point that this book talked about is if you want to know the future of humanity or how will the human being behave， you should know about that how human has acted。 Both of the authors were atheists and at some point， one can feel that their atheistic beliefs impacted their writings。 I disagreed with some of their opinions regarding biology and freedom in history。 Although I've some disagreements with some parts of this book still this is a great book， having much wisdom and some amazing points that initiate the thinking process in readers。 My rating:I rate this book 3/5。 Quote from the book:A knowledge of history may teach us that civilization is a co-operative product， that nearly all peoples have contributed to it; it is our common heritage and debt; and the civilized soul will reveal itself in treating every man or woman， however lowly， as a representative of one of these creative and contributory groups。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Lessons of History

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Lessons of History&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Lessons of History&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0