The Lessons of History
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First published in 1968, The Lessons of History distils the insights Will Durant and Ariel Durant gathered over decades of studying the rise and fall of civilisations. Drawing on their monumental The Story of Civilization, the Durants examine the recurring forces that shape human affairs, from geography, economics and religion to war, government, morality and the cycles of growth and decline. Rather than recounting history as a succession of kings, battles and empires, they search for patterns that might illuminate the present and offer perspective on humanity’s uncertain future.
Brief yet remarkably wide-ranging, this work of historical synthesis combines the perspective of seasoned historians with the philosophical curiosity of lifelong students of human nature. The Durants resist easy formulas, acknowledging the limits of historical knowledge even as they consider whether progress is real and what civilisation owes to the generations that preceded it. A fitting companion to their larger historical project, The Lessons of History stands on its own as a thoughtful meditation on power, culture, human ambition and the enduring dialogue between past and present.
From the book
“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.”
— Will Durant and Ariel Durant, The Lessons of History
On The Lessons of History
“The historical synthesis par excellence for the intelligent non-specialist.”
— Kirkus Reviews