A History of Knowledge  (English, Paperback, Van Doren Charles)

A History Of Knowledge: Past, Present, And Future by Charles Van Doren is a compendium of all the pivotal achievements, people, and events in history, starting at the beginning of human civilization up to the present century.

Summary Of The Book

A History Of Knowledge: Past, Present, And Future is a reference volume of ideas which contributed to mankind’s progress. In this volume, readers will get a glimpse into ancient civilizations, revolutionary wars, modern civilizations, scientific breakthroughs, and medieval monarchies. The author also explores the progress of mankind in the realms of culture, politics, and science.

Starting around 3000 BC, he looks at the beginnings of human civilizations such as those of the Incas and Aztecs. During this time, Van Doren claims that general knowledge expanded. For instance, concepts such as the sun rises everyday, the occurrence of seasons, and the arrival of the rains, are all examples of general knowledge.

In Chapter 2, titled ‘The Greek Explosion’, the author states that in the 6th century an explosion of Greek ideas occurred which had a permanent impact on the way mankind thought. In Chapter 3 titled ‘What The Romans Knew’, the Romans incorporated much knowledge from their Greek neighbours and went on to progress even further. Chapters 4 and 5, looks at the impact of human experiments with establishing a government. Chapter 6 is devoted to the Renaissance period. During this time period, mankind attempted to understand the ideas of ancient world and how failing to incorporate that knowledge had a detrimental impact on human progress.

Chapter 7 marks an important shift in the book, as it fast forwards to 1500 AD and looks at the expansion of the human population. Chapter 8 is significant for mankind as it talks in great length about the discovery of the scientific method and how it continues to dominate how we acquire scientific knowledge. Chapter 9 marks the period of revolution, such as those that occurred in France, America and Britain which contributed to new ideas about governance.

Chapter 10 titled ‘Prelude To Modernity’, looks at how the Industrial Revolution impacted mankind’s economic and social institutions, and contributed to modernization. Chapter 11 looks at the global impact of war and how although it occurred in one part of the world, it affected all of mankind. In the final chapter titled ‘The Next Hundred Years’, Van Doren examines the changes and uses of human knowledge up to the year 2100.

About Charles Van Doren

Charles Van Doren is an author, and editor, who hails from New York. He has also authored The Joy of Reading: A Passionate Guide to 189 of the World's Best Authors and Their Works, and How To Read A Book.

Van Doren earned his Master’s degree in Astrophysics, and his Ph.D. in English, both from Columbia University. He also attended Cambridge University in the UK. In the 1950s, he appeared on the television quiz show Twenty One on NBC, which brought him much name and fame. After a cheating allegation was discovered, which Van Doren admitted to, he was dropped from the show. Van Doren then went on to become the editor of Encyclopædia Britannica. Van Doren and his wife Gerry, are professors at the University of Connecticut.