I recently finished reading The Lessons of History by Will & Ariel Durant. It’s a short book, my version was only 102 pages long, but full of insightful takeaways from the history of western civilization. History sheds light on our society, our culture, and our way of life, and reflecting on the past is more than just memorizing facts and dates, but a way of better understanding the world we live in, how it got that way, the historical patterns that repeat themselves, and the cultural heritage we inherit and are responsible for passing on.
As an avid historian, reading The Lessons of History was very enjoyable for me because it draws examples from so many different eras. A sentence could begin in antiquity and end in modern times. Rhetorical questions such as “Would we really prefer the Athenian agora or the Roman comitia to the British Parliament or the United States Congress” draw parallels with the past to shed light upon our own times.
However, The Lessons of History does assume the reader has a comprehensive knowledge of history because it often draws on examples without elaboration and background information. If you are in no way a history buff, you may have trouble getting through the book without constantly looking up the different events and people it mentions. But you don’t necessarily have to be a history expert to understand the references the book makes. A decent knowledge of history from school will probably do just fine, as long as your school was good at addressing the whole span of the history of western civilization and you paid attention during class.
Speaking of which, another aspect of The Lessons of History is that it focuses on the history of western civilization. There is scant use of examples outside western civilization. This still allows the reader to derive wisdom from the rich history of the west, but it lacks the full comprehensive understanding that we may get by examining the histories of other civilizations.
The modern reader should also take note that The Lessons of History was published in 1968, and much has changed since then. The statements about “current” times may no longer apply, so just keep in mind that the authors are discussing the 1960s when referring to the present.
Nevertheless, the lessons the Durants derive from their examination of history wring as true today as they did in 1968, and will continue to provide wisdom to future generations.
The Durants examine the many different elements that contribute to history, such as geology, biology, race, character, morals, religion, economics, socialism, government, and war, devoting a chapter on each. These chapters make up the bulk of the book. The Durants also begin the book with their hesitations on forming generalized observations, and they end with the examination of the cyclical nature of civilizations, followed by a final discussion of the nature of progress.
The Lessons of History is a phenomenal book that conveys thought-provoking insights from history that help us better understand the society we live in today. Although I don’t agree 100% with all the conclusions the Durants make, the majority of their ideas are well thought out and backed with evidence, and I tend to agree with them more often than not. For anyone who want to gain wisdom from the past, I would highly recommend this book.
If you would like to read The Lessons of History by Will & Ariel Durant yourself, here’s a link to order it on Amazon.
The Lessons of History: https://amzn.to/3aV7pd3
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