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The Lessons of History Paperback – February 16, 2010

by Will Durant (Author), Ariel Durant (Author)

386 customer reviews

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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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Editorial Reviews

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"The Durants' masterpiece belongs in any home library and occupies a shelf in many."
--Dana D. Kelley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

About the Author

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.

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Product details

Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1/14/10 edition (February 16, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 143914995X
ISBN-13: 978-1439149959
Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.3 x 8.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 386 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > History & Surveys
- #21 in Books > History > World > Civilization & Culture
- #24 in Books > History > Historical Study & Educational Resources

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The Lessons Still Ring True

August 7, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

"The Lessons of History" is a collection of short essays based on Will and Ariel Durant’s acclaimed eleven volume "The Story of Civilization". It begins with a great disclaimer: "Only a fool would try to compress a hundred centuries into a hundred pages of hazardous conclusions. We proceed."

And they succeed! The book packs a wealth of insights into a hundred pages. The authors discuss, in turn, the forces that have shaped history. The forces considered include natural (geography, biology), human behavior (character, morality), and human constructs (religion, economic systems, and government). The last essay considers the question "Is progress real?".

The essay on economics argues that wealth inequality is a natural and inevitable consequence of the "concentration of ability" within a minority of a society, and this has occurred regularly throughout history. The authors state: "The relative equality of Americans before 1776 has been overwhelmed by a thousand forms of physical, mental, and economic differentiation, so that the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest is now greater than at any time since Imperial plutocratic Rome."

This leads into the essay on socialism, which strives to counteract the forces that drive wealth inequality. The authors survey "socialist experiments" in ancient Sumeria, Egypt, Rome, China, and South America - all centuries before the industrial revolution. It was fascinating to read this history which contains a mixture of failures and successes. The authors argue that the trend is towards a synthesis of capitalism and socialism (rather than one system winning outright).

The next essay discusses the various forms of government and descibes the special circumstances that enabled democracy to take root and flourish in the American colonies. The authors argue that many of the favorable conditions that were present in the years following the American Revolution have disappeared. The essay ends with the haunting warning: "If race or class war divides us into hostile camps, changing political argument into blind hate, one side or other may overturn the hustings with the rule of the sword. If our economy of freedom fails to distribute wealth as ably as it has created it, the road to dictatorship will be open to any man who can persuasively promise security to all; and a martial government, under whatever charming phrases, will engulf the democratic world."

Hopefully this review has provided a flavor for how the authors have distilled the insights they have gained from years of study. It should not come as a surprise that the lessons gleaned from several thousand years of recorded history continue to ring true today.

This is a book that I wish I'd read in high school or perhaps Freshman year of college. It's a wonderfully written study of how we got to where we are today.

36 people found this helpful

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Jonas Wied Pedersen

Great short book

June 7, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I have read this book three times and I keep discovering new gems in this collection of essays by the Durants. I recommend this surprisingly short (=concise) work. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

- “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.”
- “[…] the Church dares not alter the doctrines that reason smiles at, for such changes would offend and disillusion the millions whose hopes have been tied to inspiring and consolatory imaginations.”
- “[…] the first condition of freedom is its limitation; make it absolute and it dies in chaos.”
- “History is so indifferently rich that a case for almost any conclusion from it can be made by a selection of instances.”

51 people found this helpful

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Christopher J Finlayson

A preposterous premise, realise

May 29, 2018

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Durant tries to pull lessons from his study of civilisation - covering 100 centuries in 100 pages. The book makes assertions without the detailed history, but the author pulls it off with dense prose and keen insight.

A few of the most interesting ideas:
- Freedom and equality are diametrically opposed
- The disparity of man’s abilities make inequality inevitable in a complex society, only unable men desire equality and able men are better at bending societal rules
- societies get less religious as they get more educated, however, as long as there is poverty, there will be religion
- man’s motivations haven’t changed much over the centuries, we just have the luxury of inheriting a richer set of culture

6 people found this helpful

Comment

A refined, comprehensive and erudite conversation between reader and writer about History.

April 19, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Durant packs more meaning into one sentence than many do in pages of prose. Deeply erudite yet lyrically fluid writing provides pleasure in the reading. One doesn't need a broad education in the Humanities and Social Sciences to get the best from this work, but it certainly helps if one has had it.

Durant's strategy for explaining the how and why of History's lessons make sense and helps readers understand to compartment their own world, yet maintain the connectedness among all the compartments.

A delightful work that reminded me of what I once loved about History and Historiography.

11 people found this helpful

Comment

A good book for a western civilization or world histroy course.......

July 19, 2016

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

The Durants discuss some large themes, from their life long study of world history, in broad brush strokes. A great book to include in a syllabus for a college junior's philosophy, or western civilization, course. All the chapters are great jumping off points for various discussions about the individual, society, and the relationships between the two. Politics, economics/finance, war, science, technology, religion are all woven together for the open minded to consider in our current tempestuous world.
It's an easy read, clear flowing language with digestible chapters that leave much for further discussion(s).

6 people found this helpful

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