The Lessons of History Author: Visit Amazon's Will Durant Page | Language: English | ISBN:
143914995X | Format: PDF
The Lessons of History Description
From Library Journal
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 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. For general collections.
Miriam Kahn, Columbus, OhioCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Audio Cassette
edition.
Review
"The Durants' masterpiece belongs in any home library and occupies a shelf in many."
--Dana D. Kelley,
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette See all Editorial Reviews
- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (February 16, 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 143914995X
- ISBN-13: 978-1439149959
- Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.3 inches
- Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
In one of the interviews that serve as interludes between the chapters of his book, Will Durant says he started his career as a liberal and became more & more conservative during his fifty year career as a historian. If he was a conservative, he was a rather liberal one. Some of the ideas he voices would be anathema to conservatives. E.g. Wealth concentrated into fewer and fewer hands should be redistributed to the have nots. Liberals on the other hand, would be distressed by other of his views. E.g. Once the wealth gets redistributed, government should not attempt to prevent the talented and industrious from re-accumulating it.
The paradox is not really paradoxical at all. Obscene wealth in the hands of a very few causes unrest (and eventually revolution) among the obscenely poor. On the other hand, if industry and talent are not rewarded, culture stagnates. Durant gives the fall of the Roman Republic as an example of an obscenely rich aristocracy committing political suicide by refusing to peacefully redistribute some of their wealth to the poor. The economic stagnation of Communist East Europe serves as an example of what happens when you stop the natural flow of wealth back to the talented and industrious.
Durant makes some statements that would get him lynched in the 21st Century American media. E.g. "Only those who are below average really want equality."
Durant is probably most accurately classified as an agnostic, but he says that on balance, religion has done far more good than harm for civilization. Durant contends that civilizations and cultures decline and die when they lose their moral compass. And they lose their moral compass when they lose their religion.
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