Lessons of History  (English, Paperback, Durant)

The Lessons of History is written by Will and Ariel Durant, the Pulitzer Award winning authors of the eleven volume The Story of Civilization.

Summary Of The Book

According to Will Durant, understanding the present or the coming future is impossible without understanding the past. To understand any race, country, city, religion, one has to be aware of its economic, political, and moral past.

Due to their vast knowledge and research, they have been able to provide insights into the various aspects of history, like religion, society, economy and morality among others. In the thirteen chapters, the authors have included aspects like biology and geology, everything which is relevant to the changes or developments in history, and hence relevant in the present.

Historians and archeologists have come across various old civilizations which have submerged due to geological changes. There have been instances where the raging seas have claimed many lives because of floods and tsunamis. Existing civilizations and their history are obviously affected by these instances.

In the third chapter, Biology and History, the authors say that the history of mankind undoubtedly depends on the laws of Biology. Our existence, Our evolution, and Our survival are the basis of the study of history. Religion is another aspect of history they have dealt with. At every step in history, Religion has played a very important role in shaping destinies - of People, Nations, and Civilizations.

The authors have also dealt with topics like History and War, Morals and History, Government and History, Growth and Decay among others. With their vast knowledge, the authors give us an insight into the history of human behaviour, of the rise and fall of civilizations and dynasties, of nations and governments, of wars and conquests, of morals and religions.

The authors, who spent fifty years researching for Story of Civilization, have attempted an impossible task of giving a very brief synopsis of the vast history of civilization in Lessons of Life, and have succeeded remarkably in this attempt. Their aim, while writing both the books was not to create another work for the scholars, but to make detailed and intriguing facts of history available to the masses, because according to them the past makes and shapes the present and the future of each person.

About The Authors

American author, Will Durant was a teacher, philosopher and historian. He wrote his first book, Philosophy And The Social Problem in 1917. His other works include The Mansions Of Philosophy, Adventures in Philosophy, and many others. His book The Story of Civilization, published in 1926, became a bestseller. Born to Canadian parents in Massachusetts, United States, Durant became a teacher. He became Principal of Ferrer Modern School, where he met and fell in love with a 14 year old student, Chaya Kaufman. They both got married when she was 15. Will and Ariel Durant were awarded the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-fiction and the Presidential Medal Of Freedom. He died in the year 1981.

Ariel Durant was an author. She wrote books with her husband Will, and few of them are, The Story of Civilization, Rousseau and Revolution, and A Dual Autobiography. She was born in Proskurov in Russia in 1898. The city of Los Angeles awarded her the title of “Woman Of The Year”. She passed away in the year 1981.